In his First Monday Musings column on Above the Law, Dean Vikram Amar shares his thoughts about the ABA's proposed tightening of bar passage standards. He writes:

"My own take is: (1) that the bar exam in many states is actually moving, albeit perhaps too slowly, in the right direction (with inclusion of a performance-exam component); (2), that, as long as the bar exam exists as a barrier to entry into the profession, law schools need to make sure the vast majority of their graduates can pass (and schools should be addressing this matter whether or not they are worried about accreditation); and (3) that perhaps if the new accreditation standard is adopted and threatens the accreditation of a large number of well-established law schools, the resulting consequences and political pressure will lead states to improve the exam itself and the way it is graded. So the ABA taking the bar exam seriously may be a step towards states looking more carefully at it as well."

Full column on Above the Law