State Law Components in UBE Jurisdictions: What You Need to Know
The Ohio Court Court, in its recently released Report & Recommendations of the NextGen Advisory Committee, raised concerns about the rigor of the upcoming NextGen Bar Exam, questioning its elimination of traditional essay questions and the exclusion of Trusts and Estates as a foundational legal subject. While Ohio announced it would adopt the NextGen Bar Exam beginning with the July 2028 exam despite these concerns, the Report warned that a creation of a more robust Ohio Law Component might be necessary to address these concerns.
One known aspect of the NextGen exam is that it eliminates the essay questions that currently exist in the UBE. This concerns the Committee in two ways. First, the lack of extensive writing components could indicate a lack of rigor in testing. Second, without the written component and in view of the need for law schools to teach to the test, there is concern that the IRAC-style of legal analysis will either not be taught or will be taught with less emphasis. - Report & Recommendations of the NextGen Advisory Committee
This development in Ohio highlights an important but often overlooked aspect of bar admission: state-specific law components. While the Uniform Bar Exam provides a portable score across jurisdictions, some states supplement it with their own state law requirements. These are not part of the bar exam but rather a separate requirement for licensing to ensure that attorneys understand key local laws and procedures.
Currently, Ohio requires applicants to pass an open-book, 25-question multiple-choice test that assesses basic state law principles, constitutional law, and court structure. In its Report, the committee is exploring whether Ohio should transform its component into a more substantive exam, potentially including essay questions on Ohio law, like Trusts & Estates.
Since Ohio state that it could be moving toward a more robust state component, it’s helpful to examine how other UBE jurisdictions handle their local law requirements. Below, I outline the 15 UBE jurisdictions that require a state law component, detailing their format, difficulty, and official sources for reference.
1. Alabama
The Online Course on Alabama Law is a required video course for applicants seeking admission by examination or by transfer of a UBE score. It consists of eight online learning modules covering the Alabama Constitution; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Civil Litigation; Criminal Law; Family Law; Real Property; Torts; and Wills, Trusts, and Probate. Completion of all modules is mandatory for admission to the Alabama State Bar.
2. Arizona
The Arizona Law Course provides applicants with a foundational understanding of Arizona-specific law. Topics covered include Civil Procedure; Torts; Contracts; Criminal Procedure; Family Law; Real Property; Professional Responsibility; and Constitutional Law. The course consists of approximately six hours of video instruction, supplemented with written materials and knowledge checks.
3. Maryland
The Maryland Law Component is divided into two parts. The first part consists of written outlines covering substantive distinctions in Maryland law, procedural rules, attorney obligations, and trust account regulations. Subject areas include Criminal Law; Criminal Procedure; Evidence; Family Law; Maryland Civil Procedure; Professional Responsibility (including the Maryland Attorneys' Rules of Professional Conduct); Torts; and Trusts and Estates. The second part of the MLC is a timed set of confirmatory questions designed to assess applicants’ familiarity with the written materials. The online portion consists of a 50-question, multiple-choice, open-book exercise based entirely on the MLC Subject Matter Outlines. Access to resources other than the provided outlines is unnecessary to correctly answer the questions.
The Massachusetts Law Component is a 50-question multiple-choice exam that tests key distinctions and essential highlights of Massachusetts law and procedure. The exam is based on substantive outlines provided upon registration. It covers 10 areas of Massachusetts law: Access to Justice; Anti-Discrimination Law; Business Organizations; Civil Procedure; Consumer Protection (G.L. c. 93A); Criminal Law and Procedure; Domestic Relations; Estates and Wills; Evidence; and Legal Ethics.
5. Michigan
The Michigan Law Basics course is an online training program covering Michigan-specific practice areas required for bar admission. The course covers Civil Litigation; Criminal Law; Family Law; Probate and Estate Planning; and Torts and No-Fault. It requires approximately 12 hours to complete, including about one hour of video instruction and one hour of reading per lesson, plus time to complete two assessment questions at the end of each lesson.
6. Missouri
The Missouri Educational Component Test is a mandatory 33-question, open-book quiz covering 11 areas: Torts; Civil Procedure; Real Property; Trusts; Estates; Family Law; Business Associations; Administrative Law; Missouri Courts; Evidence; and Trust Account Management.
7. Montana
The Montana Law Seminar is a Supreme Court-required course designed to introduce applicants to the structure of the legal system in Montana, the unique aspects of Montana law, and the professional standards and culture of practicing law in the state.
8. New Mexico
The New Mexico Law Class is an online, on-demand course covering Indian Law, Community Property, Civility in the Legal Profession, the Disciplinary Process in New Mexico, and State Bar Programs.
9. New York
The State Board of Law Examiners requires completion of an online course, known as the New York Law Course (NYLC), followed by an online, open-book exam on New York-specific law, known as the New York Law Exam (NYLE). Topics include: the New York court system; Administrative Law; Business Relationships; Civil Practice and Procedure; Conflict of Laws; Contracts; Criminal Law and Procedure; Evidence; Matrimonial and Family Law; Professional Responsibility; Real property; Torts and Tort Damages; and Trusts, Wills, and Estates.
10. Ohio
The Ohio Law Component ensures that attorneys seeking admission to the Ohio Bar are aware of the unique aspects and rules of the Ohio judicial system. Topics covered include Attorney Discipline; Resources for New Attorneys; Ohio judicial system; Ohio rules and laws; Business Associations; Civil Procedure; Commercial Transactions; Constitutional Law; Contracts; Criminal Law and Procedure; Evidence; Personal and Real Property; Professional Responsibility; Torts; and Wills and Intestate Succession.
11. South Carolina
The Course of Study on South Carolina Law consists of 11 video modules, each lasting between 30 and 50 minutes, covering major areas of South Carolina law. At the end of each module, applicants must answer three multiple-choice or true/false questions randomly selected from a larger pool. Written materials do not accompany the videos. Applicants have three attempts to answer all three questions correctly before they are required to rewatch the module and complete a new set of questions.
12. Tennessee
The Tennessee Law Course is a mandatory online course on Tennessee-specific law that takes approximately 7.5 hours to complete. Topics include: the Tennessee Claims Commission; Tennessee Employment Law; Workers' Compensation; Business Associations; Constitutional Law; Criminal Law and Procedure; Family Law; Juvenile Matters; Professional Responsibility; Property Law; Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure; Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure; Torts; and Tennessee Rules of Evidence; Wills, Estates, Trusts, and Probate.
13. Texas
Texas Law Course is a series of video presentations on Texas law. According to the Texas Board of Law Examiners: "To complete the TLC, you will watch a series of lectures and answer some 'hurdle questions' at the end of each segment. The hurdle questions are designed to ensure that you have a minimal level of comprehension of the segment you just watched. The questions are not intended to be tricky, difficult, or hard. If you pay attention to the lecture, and perhaps take a few notes, you should be able to get through the hurdle questions. You must successfully answer most of the hurdle questions in order to proceed to the next segment.'
14. Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands Law Component is an open-book, 50 item, 90-minute, online multiple-choice test. Topics include: Virgin Islands Government & Constitutional Law; Legal Profession; Virgin Islands Practice; Administrative Law; Business Associations (Corporations, Limited Liability and Partnerships); Domestic Relations; and Wills.
15. Washington
The Washington Law Component educates new lawyers about areas of law unique to Washington or significantly different from the law tested on the Uniform Bar Exam. The WLC consists of 15 substantive outlines on Washington law and includes a 60-question multiple-choice test to be completed in four hours with access to course materials. Topics include: the Washington State Bar Association; Administrative Law; Civil Procedure' Community Property and Domestic Partnerships; Constitutional Law; Consumer Protection Act; Criminal Law and Procedure; Evidence; Foresclosure Law and Limited Practice Officers; Indian Law; Land Use; Landlord-Tenant Law; Professional Responsibility; Public Records Act; and Torts and Product Liability.
Final Thoughts
With Ohio considering a more rigorous state law component, it’s possible other states may follow suit in expanding their state law exams with additional content and difficulty. If you’re going to be taking the NextGen Bar Exam, be sure to check your jurisdiction’s requirements so you can plan ahead for these extra admission steps.
