The New Mexico Supreme Court has approved a skills-based examination as an optional alternative to the traditional written bar examination. Under the new route, an eligible graduate of an accredited law school will receive conditional authority to practise, complete 675 hours of supervised legal work within one year and undergo midpoint and final reviews. The applicant will then submit work product and records of practical experience for assessment by the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners.
The portfolio is intended to demonstrate competence through activities including legal writing, client meetings, advocacy, negotiation, professional interaction and law practice management. Applicants must still satisfy the existing character and fitness process and pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, and the conventional bar examination will remain an option. The pathway is expected to begin in 2027 and is also intended to support recruitment outside the state’s main urban centres, where shortages of practising lawyers have contributed to unmet legal need.