ALLEGAN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Nov. 7, 2025) – In the relatively near future, there will be a new bar exam for prospective attorneys in Michigan.
The state Supreme Court, in conjunction with the Board of Law Examiners, announced this week that, starting in July of 2028, bar applicants will be taking a new version of the bar exam. The NextGen Uniform Bar Exam, which 45 other jurisdictions are either administering or plan to administer, would replace the current Legacy UBE.
This new exam tests nine areas of legal doctrine and seven foundational lawyering skills that the National Conference of Bar Examiners claims reflect the work performed by newly licensed attorneys. One of those skills is client relationship and management, something that Allegan County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Villar says is best developed by experience rather than in the classroom.
Villar, who had been in private practice for about 25 years before being elected as prosecutor last November, had scored high enough in preliminary tests when he applied for the bar that he didn’t need to go through a full day of Michigan law essay questions, which was required of applicants prior to the enactment of the Legacy UBE two and a half years ago.
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