Comments on: A brief history of lawyers in Japan

By: Why Tokyo has three bar associations » Japan Law Blog

Why Tokyo has three bar associations » Japan Law Blog — Fri, 04 May 2007 16:09:38 +0000

[...] originally promised to post this at Mutant Frog Travelogue, but since my Japan “blawging” has moved over [...]

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:39:11 +0000

Yup. I mentioned it over at the Japan Law Blog.

By: gen

gen — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:26:07 +0000

Joe- didja see this?

http://www.lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=11727

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 18:19:49 +0000

The preliminary exam was a pretty weird idea for exactly that reason. Although I have to say, it sounds so wonderful to be able to place out of having to go to law school just by taking a test.

By: Curzon

Curzon — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 09:40:59 +0000

2010: The old bar exam will be administered for the last time. From 2011 onward, only the new bar exam will be offered. However, prospective attorneys will still be able to waive the law school requirement by taking a “preliminary exam.”

Small correction: the old bar will be offered in its complete form until 2010. In 2011, only the oral exam will be given, i.e. people who passed the written exam (3% pass rate) and fail the oral exam (90% pass rate) are given a final shot to be admitted.

The preliminary exam may never come into being; some, such as the Komeito, are advocating against this system, as it would make the new law schools moot.

Can’t wait for info on the old Tokyo Bar Association and the politics therein.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 06:32:32 +0000

Well, there are 27,000 lawyers (including prosecutors and judges; 22,000 of these are bengoshi proper). In 2005, when only the old bar exam was being administered, about 1,500 people passed (a 3% pass rate). The official plan is to step up the pass rate so that 3,000 people pass the bar in 2010. (Japanese link) There should be a ~50% pass rate on the new exam over the next few years, because the law schools are gradually increasing their output and the "pre-exam" should bring in many of the people who would have passed the old bar exam.

By: Garrett

Garrett — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 05:45:08 +0000

Interesting. I’d heard that the low passage rate of the “fiendishly difficult” bar exam was connected the 20,000 limit on the total number of lawyers in Japan. I know that number is set to gradually rise to 50,000. Do you have any specifics on the timetable for that increase and if there are any other changes to the limit system due?