HB822: HB822 Courts; prohibit inclusion of Georgia-specific content on all future Georgia bar examinations for attorney licensure

Georgia law currently lets the Justices of the Supreme Court set rules for the bar exam, the test people must pass to become licensed attorneys in Georgia, including holding at least two exams a year. This bill amends that law, found in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A. § 15-19-3), to add a new rule: starting July 1, 2025, the bar exam cannot include any content specific to Georgia's own laws. The rest of the existing law stays the same, including the Supreme Court's authority to set application procedures, exam locations, and scheduling, and the rule that a college education is not required to sit for the exam. The bill repeals any other laws that conflict with this new restriction.

• Adds a new subsection to O.C.G.A. § 15-19-3 banning Georgia-specific legal content from all bar exams given on or after July 1, 2025.
• Leaves in place the Supreme Court's existing power to set exam rules, including timing, application procedures, and holding at least two exams per year.
• Keeps the existing provision that a college education is not required to be eligible to take the bar exam.
• Repeals any other state laws that conflict with this new restriction on bar exam content.

Aspiring Georgia attorneys who must pass the bar exam, the Georgia Supreme Court and its Board of Bar Examiners who design and administer the test, and law schools that prepare students for licensure in the state.

If passed, future bar exam takers would no longer be tested on Georgia-specific statutes or case law, likely shifting the exam toward general legal principles similar to the Uniform Bar Exam used in many other states, changing how new lawyers demonstrate readiness to practice in Georgia.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 15-19-3 to add subsection (c), barring Georgia-specific legal content from bar exams starting July 1, 2025.
• Section 1 preserves subsection (a), which gives the Supreme Court Justices authority to set exam rules and requires at least two exams per year.
• Section 1 preserves subsection (b), which says the exam requirement does not limit eligibility to college-educated applicants.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting state laws.

1. 2025-03-27House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-25House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-21House Hopper (House)

• Karen Lupton (D, HD-083)Primary sponsor
• Marvin Lim (D, HD-098)

• bar exam
• attorney licensing
• legal profession
• Georgia Supreme Court