Bar Programs

Passing the Bar in the state or states where you plan to practice law is a necessary step in your legal career.  A Widener Law Commonwealth education prepares you with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully pass the bar examination.

Fundamentals of the Bar Exam

Fundamentals of the Bar Exam is a pre-bar review, skills-development course offered to graduating students in their final fall or spring semester. Through repeated exposure to bar examination materials, students learn the basic techniques for answering the multiple choice, essay, and performance test questions found on the bar examination. Students are required to work collaboratively in class and have regular homework assignments to complete.

PMBR’s MBE Review

To help our graduates prepare for the Bar Exam, Widener Law Commonwealth has partnered with PMBR to offer PMBR’s MBE Review course. The review course provides outstanding preparation for the multistate, multiple-choice portion of the bar exam. The course has seven days of core material, supplemented by books and an on-line question bank. The course may be taken live at the law school or online.

Interested students and alumni who would like to sign up or get more information about the 7-day PMBR program should contact Professor David Raeker-Jordan at the law school.

New York Bar Skills Competency Requirement

This page describes the most common pathways for Widener Law Commonwealth students to fulfill §520.18 of New York’s Rules for the Admission of Attorneys and Counselors at Law skills and competency requirement. This requirement is intended to help applicants “establish that they have acquired the skills and are familiar with the professional values necessary to competently practice law.”  

Bar Admission & Exam

In order to join the legal profession and work as a lawyer in the United States, individuals must be licensed by the state or territory in which they plan to practice. The federal government does not license lawyers. Most states require prospective attorneys to graduate from an ABA-accredited law school, pass a state-administered bar exam, pass an ethics exam, and satisfy character and fitness standards.

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Please visit the links below to learn more about each state’s Bar Admission and Exam requirements:

National Conference of Bar Examiners website
Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements
State Character and Fitness Investigations
Bar Exam Study Aids