President's Message — November 2026

As we head full throttle into the holiday season, I remind myself of all I have to be thankful for and the importance of giving back to our community. The holidays offer so many opportunities to show our gratitude for the good fortune we, as attorneys, enjoy. Whether we choose to give to a food bank, foster a shelter dog for the holidays, or donate to our favorite charity, giving back can have a meaningful impact to those amongst us in need. I encourage all of us to not forget our blessings and share as we are able.

RCBA offers many opportunities to give back. Of notorious mention this time of year is our Elves program. Our Elves program offers many opportunities to support our community. Each year, the Elves program selects several families in need to make sure they have presents under their tree Christmas morning. To support this endeavor, we need volunteers to shop for presents, wrap presents, deliver presents, and donate funds. An email with dates for shopping, wrapping and delivery of gifts will go out soon. If you are short on time, donations of any size are welcome.

Project Graduate also offers opportunity to give back. I mentioned Project Graduate in last month's article. Project Graduate continues to be in need of volunteers to serve as Educational Representatives for a foster child trying to graduate high school. This is a rewarding opportunity to make significant impact and difference in a young person's life.

I would like to thank all our members that attended our last general membership meeting and thank our presenter, the Honorable Jack Lucky (retired), for his informative and entertaining presentation on civility. Thank you to the Riverside County Bar Association for sponsoring the meeting and providing lunch for our members. This presentation made the case that civility in the practice of law constitutes zealous and effective advocacy for our clients. Thank you, Judge Lucky, for your time and the insights you shared on civility.

Our next general membership meeting will be on Friday, November 15. District Attorney Michael Hestrin and Public Defender Steven Harmon will be presenting on November 13. Blumenthal & Moore along with Grech, Packer & Hanks will be sponsoring the meeting and providing lunch. I hope to see you all there.

In our profession, the approach of the Thanksgiving holiday has a special meaning …bar results. We all remember the weeks leading up to the release of results just in time to see our families for the holidays. The California Bar exam has assured that those entering the practice of law had the tenacity, muster, and competency to succeed.

However, in recent years there have been proposed changes to the bar exam that I believe all our members should be aware of. Regardless of your opinion, I believe our members should voice either their support or opposition to proposed changes.

The first bar exam was administered in 1919 with the goal of establishing formal standards for entry into the legal profession. Originally a three-day exam, the California Bar Exam was considered one of the most difficult exams in the country. In 2017, the exam was reduced to a two-day exam which continued to thoroughly test the legal skills and knowledge of applicants.

This last year, the California Supreme Court approved a transition to the Next-Gen bar exam format. This format will be implemented in 2028. This change in format was objected to by a multitude of bar associations to include the Riverside County Bar Association. The Next-Gen bar exam, in its current format, does not specifically test California subjects such as community property and wills and trusts. The exam is administered over a total of nine hours over three sessions lasting three hours each. It is anticipated that California subjects may be added in the future.

These changes to our bar exam started in 2021, when the California Supreme Court and State Bar formed the Blue Ribbon Commission on the future of the bar exam. The goal of this review was to reduce cost and to increase access. After two years, the Commission recommended that California continue to develop its own reforms to the exam and not adopt the Next-Gen format. Despite this recommendation, on July 15, 2026, the California Supreme Court approved the adoption of the Next-Gen Uniform Bar Examination which will be administered starting in July 2028. The Supreme Court did include in their order a direction to the State Bar to develop a California specific examination component for potential implementation in July 2029.

As our State Bar continues to grill down on members regarding issues of competency and ethics, it seems counter-intuitive to eliminate Caifornia's rigorous licensing process for new attorneys. This process helps ensure those entering this esteemed profession are competent and ethical.

This process of reform is ongoing. I encourage our members to reach out to our State Bar and to RCBA to let us know your views on these changes. Our board is active in this ongoing conversation and supports an exam that continues to ensure competency in our profession. Whatever is ultimately decided, we should make sure our voices are heard.

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Elisabeth Lord is a family law practitioner and partner at Lord and Brooker, APC and president of the Riverside County Bar Association.