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First batch of B.C. law students takes course over bar exam as Ontario mulls switch
The province says the four-phase program better reflects modern legal practice, while Ontario has not decided whether to follow suit.
- British Columbia officially replaced its traditional bar exam with a four-phase skills-based program this fall, becoming the sixth province to adopt this model for assessing legal knowledge, advocacy, ethics, and practice management.
- The Law Society announced the change last October, stating that training requirements needed updating to reflect evolving legal practice needs; this follows similar shifts in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Nunavut.
- Richard Jiang, a University of British Columbia Peter A. Allard School of Law graduate, argues the move aligns standards with modern practice, noting "AI handles the retrieval; the role of the junior lawyer is shifting more and more towards judgment, drafting, and other aspects of practice."
- Sydney Dahrouge, who completed training in British Columbia, warned that the current "patchwork of assessments" makes things confusing across provinces; students also struggle integrating study loads with 10- to 12-hour workdays during articling.
- While British Columbia transitions, Ontario remains undecided on a similar proposal. The Law Society in Ontario wrapped consultations in January and confirmed last month it has not reached a final decision on the potential shift.
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The Toronto Star+19 Reposted by 19 other sources
First batch of B.C. law students takes course over bar exam as Ontario mulls switch
While the jury's still out on a proposal to replace the Ontario bar exam with a skills-based course, law schools in British Columbia have made the switch, with the first
·Toronto, Canada
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Total News Sources20
Leaning Left10Leaning Right0Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution59% Left
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources lean Left
59% Left
L 59%
C 41%
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