The Supreme Court of Texas issued an order on June 25 regarding the adoption and implementation of the NextGen Bar Exam and a separate Texas law component. The court expects both to debut with the administration of the July 2028 Texas Bar Examination, according to a press release.
The court issued the order following an internal study and the recommendations of the Texas Board of Law Examiners and its NextGen Work Group. The work group included BLE board members and Texas law school deans. To view the full court order, go to txcourts.gov/media/1458783/249040.pdf.
Similarly to the current Uniform Bar Examination, the NextGen Bar Exam is expected to allow portable scores to be transferrable to other jurisdictions, according to the order. The court anticipates that NextGen scores earned in other jurisdictions will also be transferrable to Texas.
Additionally, the court accepted the BLE’s recommendation to reintroduce a graded Texas law component to the bar exam “to ensure that applicants who wish to be admitted to the Texas Bar have sufficient knowledge of important aspects of Texas law,” according to a press release.
The court anticipates the component will be a half-day graded exam and the change will take effect with the NextGen exam in July 2028.
The National Conference of Bar Examiners has said the NextGen Bar Exam will replace the Uniform Bar Examination in some jurisdictions as early as July 2026. February 2028 is expected to be the final administration of the UBE, according to a press release.
The Supreme Court invites public comments on this order through September 30, 2024. Written comments should be emailed to rulescomments@txcourts.gov.
For more information about the Supreme Court of Texas, go to txcourts.gov/supreme.