Cases dropped after cop video surfaces | Trump supports 'merit-based' immigration bill | Snarky brief backs comedian Oliver

ABA Journal latest headlines

Thanks to shrinking class sizes, a greater percentage of new law grads find employment

August 3, 2017, 8:00 am CDT

Snarky, profane ACLU brief filed on behalf of John Oliver against coal company CEO

August 3, 2017, 7:00 am CDT

Elderly homeless bank robber wanted to return to prison; Nevada judge obliges

August 2, 2017, 4:11 pm CDT

Trump backs bill limiting legal immigration that favors skilled, well-educated English speakers

August 2, 2017, 1:13 pm CDT

Baltimore prosecutors drop dozens of cases after video appears to show cop planting evidence

August 2, 2017, 11:22 am CDT

ABA Center for Innovation unveils inaugural class of innovation fellows

August 2, 2017, 10:30 am CDT

Trump signs Russia sanctions bill despite 'clearly unconstitutional provisions'

August 2, 2017, 10:23 am CDT

Should bar exam pass scores be lower?

August 2, 2017, 10:15 am CDT

Indicted ex-congressman claims government lawyers made inappropriate inquiries about his sex life

August 2, 2017, 9:51 am CDT

In the Magazine

From the August 2017 Issue

My Life of Hard-Won Achievement

When I moved to a small law firm, I experienced racism and sexism firsthand

A Tradition of Jailhouse Lawyers

Amateur attorneys fill vital need for inmate access to the courts

Question of the Week

Should bar exam pass scores be lower?

This week, the State Bar of California released results of a standard-setting study of the state bar exam's passing score. One proposal that came out of the study was to set a new interim California bar exam cut score at 1414 from the current 1440.

The California bar exam is known for being difficult: In fact, only 43 percent of the applicants who took the July 2016 exam passed.

So, we'd like to ask you: Should bar exam pass scores be lower? In every state? In the state where you practice? Or do you think the bar exam is a pointless exercise?

Answer in the comments.

Read the answers to last week's question: Have you ever moonlighted to supplement your primary income?

Featured answer:

Posted by LarieBee: "I practice law full-time, and I've continued to occasionally cater for the business I worked at through college. You can't beat the cash for serving high-end food and drinks in a party atmosphere. I also get to do a fair amount of networking at catering events, as many of the regular clients were happy to follow my success during and after school. While I have no desire to practice in Chicago, it's nice knowing I have connections there if need be. As a young attorney in a rural area, I still enjoy surprising out-of-town guests who make assumptions about their servers."