I really don't think people advocating for abolishing the bar and replacing it with a one-year apprenticeship program have given enough thought to how that's going to be an even bigger barrier to entry for BIPOC and economically disadvantaged students.

I'm all for abolishing the bar exam. Apprenticeships aren't the answer. Why?

How do you think students are going to get apprenticeships? Hint: It's going to look a LOT like legal hiring now. Which MASSIVELY privileges people with connections.

Who has connections? Generally, people who look a lot like me.

Worse, public interest law isn't going to have the money to give people paid apprenticeships. So they're either not going to have them, or they're going to be unpaid.

Guess who can afford to spend a year working for free?

NOT economically disadvantaged students.

Smaller firms don't really have the resources to hire an associate who can't sign papers or appear in court. So that's not really a feasible option.