California moves to make it easier to pass the bar https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/business/dealbook/california-bar-exam.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Feducation&action=click&contentCollection=education®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
Sure. Lowering the standard (it is what it is) will create more lawyers. Aren't there enough unemployed law school grads already? J.
That's the result of poor choices on people's part to enter a job market that has few openings, not the state's fault. When your bar pass rate is as dismal as California, it's probably something that should be looked at. On the other hand, I think many people desire a legal education not to be a lawyer, but for the skills it provides in writing, reasoning, etc. Theo Epstein (GM of the Chicago Cubs, formerly the Red Sox) graduated law school (University of San Diego), but never even attempted the bar exam. He's doing just fine, and I'm sure his legal education has been invaluable or contract negotiations with players.
Hall of Famer Tony La Russa (former White Sox, A's and Cardinals manager) has a JD and was once admitted to the FL bar. But he quickly decided that he'd rather be sitting on a minor league bus than practicing law. He was famous in Oakland for carrying his lunch, scouting reports and lineup sheets in a lawyer's briefcase. My mother used to laugh about that.
Regarding California making it easier to pass the bar, I believe that it was the State Supreme Court, not the hard-nosed State Bar that did it. Apparently the State Bar was ordered to adjust the passing score on the bar exam so that the pass percentage was comparable to other states'.
Former San Franciso 49'ers QB Steve Young earned his J.D. at Brigham Young after his playing days were over, I don't know if he ever took the bar exam anywhere. Former Patriots and Dolphins LB Nick Buoniconti earned his J.D. at Suffolk University during his Patriots playing days, passed the bar exam, and actually had his own law office on Beacon Hill for a short time.
This is a little old but still to the point https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/articles/2013/10/17/advance-a-law-related-career-without-passing-the-bar
He's currently a very successful private equity guy in Palo Alto. I saw an interview in a lawyers' magazine where he said that although he wasn't practicing law, the legal education gave him a very useful skill-set that complements all the MBAs around him. http://www.hggc.com/team/j-steven-young https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-02-09/steve-young-is-an-athlete-who-s-actually-good-at-finance
The son of a coworker of mine was a hot NFL prospect. He got his degree in Finance from Boston College, invested his football salary & endorsements wisely, and now that he's retired, he does financial planning for pro athletes. The son of another coworker was/is an NHL prospect, and when it came time to sign with a college, he wasn't going outside Boston (his boyhood dream was to play in the Beanpot Tournament). He eventually signed with Northeastern University because they were the only school to guarantee him a full 4-year scholarship, so even if he blew his knees out at his first practice, he was guaranteed free school. He resisted the temptation to enter the NHL draft early, and got his Business degree from Northeastern. He's still hacking around the AHL and European leagues, but he always has that degree from an excellent school to fall back on.
In another example of lowering the bar, the CSU system eliminates Math as a requirement for graduation https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-state-university-system-eliminates-015218600.html
They only required intermediate algebra? If their students can't pass that, then how did they get through high school?