By Jasmine Daya ( June 11, 2025, 2:29 PM EDT) -- In February 2025, the State Bar of California conducted what was supposed to be a streamlined, cost-efficient bar examination — an experiment in modern legal licensure. Instead, it devolved into one of the most publicized failures of professional credentialing in recent memory. As lawyers in Ontario and across Canada observe an evolving conversation around lawyer competence and access to the profession, California’s case serves as a stark warning about the dangers of opaque governance, overreliance on private contractors and the erosion of professional oversight in legal licensing....