Bill Would Order California State Bar to Use NextGen on Future Bar Exams
February 21, 2026
How would Assembly Bill No. 2109 affect you?
f AB 2109 passes and is signed into law:
- Law schools — curricula shift toward NextGen UBE (skills-focused: research, writing, client counseling, negotiation; less pure memorization). Prep aligns nationally.
- Attorneys — no direct impact on already licensed; potential score portability if moving to/from UBE states.
- Law students (future bar takers) — starting 2029, take NextGen UBE instead of current California-specific exam. Easier multi-state portability; different prep needed (focus on practical skills).
Bill introduced Feb 18, 2026; currently only proposed, not enacted. State Bar debating NextGen adoption earlier (possibly 2028).
Assembly Bill
No. 2109
| Introduced by Assembly Member Dixon |
| February 18, 2026 |
An act to add Section 6046.9 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to attorneys.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
AB 2109, as introduced, Dixon. California bar examination.
The State Bar Act provides for the licensure and regulation of attorneys by the State Bar of California, a public corporation governed by a board of trustees. Existing law authorizes the board of trustees to establish an examining committee, also known as the Committee of Bar Examiners, and requires an applicant for a license to practice law to pass the general bar examination, known as the California bar examination, given by the examining committee. Existing law prohibits the examining committee from altering the bar examination in a manner that requires the substantial modification of the training or preparation required for passage of the examination, except after giving 2 years’ notice of that change.
This bill would require the examining committee, on January 1, 2029, to replace the California bar examination with the Uniform Bar Examination created by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO
Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 6046.9 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:
6046.9.
On January 1, 2029, the examining committee shall replace the California bar examination with the Uniform Bar Examination created by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
