--- title: HB 822. Courts; prohibit inclusion of Georgia-specific content on all future Georgia bar examinations for attorney licensure collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb822 cite_as: HB 822, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb822 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb822.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb822/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71569 date: 2025-03-27 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb821.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb823.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb822.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 822 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-03-21 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Karen Lupton - Marvin Lim text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB822/2025 upstream_id: 2012801 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - bar exam - attorney licensing - legal profession - Georgia Supreme Court --- # HB 822. Courts; prohibit inclusion of Georgia-specific content on all future Georgia bar examinations for attorney licensure ## Text 25 LC 59 0005 House Bill 822 By: Representatives Lupton of the 83rd and Lim of the 98th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 19 of Title 15 of the Official Co de of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to attorneys generally, so as to prohibit the inclusion of Georgia-specific content on2 all future Georgia bar examinations for attorney licensure; to repeal conflicting laws; and for3 other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 Article 1 of Chapter 19 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Geo rgia Annotated, relating to7 attorneys generally, is amended by revising Code Section 15-19-3, relating to rules governing8 examinations, as follows:9 "15-19-3.10 (a) The Justices of the Supreme Court shall be authorized to make and adopt rules as to the11 making of application to take an examination and as to the time , manner, and places of12 holding examinations for admission to the bar of this state and are specifically authorized13 to provide for the holding of the examinations under the supervision of the Board of Bar14 Examiners at not more than three cities, under such rules and r egulations as may be15 H. B. 822 - 1 - 25 LC 59 0005 prescribed by them. They may provide for the examination to be held over such period of16 days as in their judgment shall be fair to the applicant for examination. There shall be held17 not less than two examinations during each calendar year, the date or dates of which shall18 be fixed by the Justices of the Supreme Court.19 (b) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed as limiting applicants for admission to20 the bar to college trained persons, except as provided by law.21 (c) On and after July 1, 2025, examinations for admission to the bar of this state shall not22 include content specific to the laws of this state."23 SECTION 2.24 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.25 H. B. 822 - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. House Bill 822 would bar the Georgia Supreme Court from including any Georgia-specific law content on future Georgia bar exams, starting July 1, 2025, affecting how new lawyers are tested for licensure. ### Plain-language summary 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. ### What it does - 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. ### Who it affects 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. ### Why it matters 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. ### Key provisions - 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. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-21) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-27) - Sponsors: Karen Lupton, Marvin Lim - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71569 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb822.md?full=1