Should Lawyers be Licensed without Passing the Bar Exam?

Should Lawyers be Licensed without Passing the Bar Exam?

From Beneath the Law by Stories and Strategies

December 23, 2025 · 30 min · Season 1 · Episode 58

About this episode

Gavin Tighe and Stephen Thiele discuss the implications of the Law Society of Ontario's proposal to eliminate bar exams for lawyers.

Send us Fan Mail If becoming a lawyer no longer requires proving what you know, what does the profession really stand for? Gavin Tighe and Stephen Thiele take on the Law Society of Ontario’s proposal to scrap bar exams in favor of a training course, arguing that removing substantive testing undermines both public protection and the meaning of being called to the bar. Drawing on their own experiences in law school and practice, they explore how legal education has changed, why base...

People in this episode

Hosts: Gavin Tighe, Stephen Thiele

Topics covered

  • law education
  • bar exam
  • legal profession
  • public protection
  • Ontario

Keywords

  • lawyer licensing
  • bar exam
  • legal education
  • public protection
  • Ontario law

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Law Society of Ontario

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