This Report assembles relevant secondary research, and presents considerable new data, on barriers to joining the California State Bar for individuals with criminal records. It also provides recommendations for expanding access for qualified applicants, and identifies several areas in which further research and deliberation may be fruitful. In publishing this Report, we aim to instigate further discussion about this important topic, and we hope to prompt reforms that will reduce or eliminate unfair and inefficient barriers to the legal profession for qualified applicants with criminal records.
UNLOCKING THE BAR: Expanding Access to the Legal Profession for People with Criminal Records in California
- Formerly Incarcerated, Law School Application, Prospective Law Student, Report, Resource, Unlock the Bar