The Arizona Supreme Court implemented the Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program (ALAP) on September 1, 2024, with generous grant support from the State Justice Institute, creating an alternative pathway to law licensure. ALAP is designed for candidates who narrowly miss Arizona’s Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) passing score of 270, recognizing that a single cut score does not perfectly measure attorney competence and future success. Rather than requiring these candidates to retake the UBE, ALAP allows those scoring between 260 and 269 to practice law under the supervision of an experienced Arizona attorney.
Participants must commit to two years of providing legal services in rural areas or with public law offices statewide and meet all other admission standards. Upon successful completion of the program, an ALAP licensee transitions to a regular license to practice law in Arizona. This innovative program reflects the Court’s commitment to expanding access to justice while offering aspiring attorneys a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate their competence.
After one year, ALAP has shown strong engagement with 70 applications received. For the July 2025 UBE, 16 of 44 eligible candidates (36%) have applied, while for the February 2025 UBE, 20 of 36 eligible candidates (56%) have applied. Earlier eligibility periods yielded 19 applications from July 2024 examinees (35%) and 7 applications from July 2023/February 2024 examinees (12%).
To date, 44 ALAP licenses have been issued, with 40 currently active. Three licensees subsequently achieved a UBE score of 270 or higher, and one license expired due to failure to secure qualifying employment. Seventeen ALAP applications remain active. For more information about ALAP you can visit the ALAP website ALAP – Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program. For information on how to apply, see Arizona Attorney Admissions – Applications & Information.
December 1, 2025
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC), with funding from the State Justice Institute (SJI), launched a national initiative to strengthen state courts readiness for cyberattacks and technical disruptions through Cybersecurity and Disaster Recovery Workshops. These regional sessions (first virtual and then in-person) bring together judges, administrators, IT leaders, and communications staff to enhance preparedness, …
November 1, 2025
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) is proud to have the opportunity to further local efforts to address the unique needs of our children and families. In 2021, the NCJFCJ published the first of its kind, a toolkit for family court judges to better recognize red flags of families facing or …
October 1, 2025
The National Center for State Courts‘ Institute for Court Management is excited to announce the development of a new, innovative e-learning course designed to educate and inspire state and local court employees. This approximately 3-hour online self-study course is tailored primarily for new hires and aims to address a critical gap in understanding the essential …
September 1, 2025
The Nebraska Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation has collaborated with local trial judges, attorneys, and court staff to pilot a court-based Self-Help Center in Douglas County (Omaha, Nebraska). The first of its kind in Nebraska, this self-help center is located in the courthouse and provides on-site access to computers, printers, and legal resources …
August 1, 2025
The National Center for State Courts, in cooperation with the ABA Commission on Law and Aging (COLA) and the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) created technology and data standards for court case management systems for guardianship and conservatorship cases. Most case management systems are designed to track cases from filing to disposition. However, courts are …
July 1, 2025
What if families facing a crisis could receive support before entering the court system? In 2019, the National Center for State Courts received funding to identify promising practices in state and local courts that aim to prevent removal through non-adversarial collaborative team approaches and timely access to treatment and services. The Family Preservation Initiative (FPI) …