It’s a rite of passage well known and well feared by new law school graduates in the United States. Now, an attempt to introduce a bar exam to India has stirred up a wave of indignation — and litigation.
A month ago, the Bar Council of India announced that, starting with this year’s class, all new law graduates would be required to take a national bar exam. Previously, graduates were considered qualified to practice after passing their final law school exams and signing up with a local bar group. Council Chairman Gopal Subramanium, also India’s solicitor general, has touted the All India Bar Exam as a reform intended to raise standards in India’s million-strong legal profession.
