Would-be California lawyers could forgo the state's notoriously difficult bar exam and still obtain a law license under a proposal drafted by advocates working at the behest of state bar leaders.

The proposal, drafted by the self-named Alternative Pathway Working Group, would allow graduates of American Bar Association-approved and California-accredited law schools to earn their bar cards by completing hundreds of hours of supervised practice and demonstrating their knowledge and competence through a scored portfolio of their work—all in lieu of passing the traditional two-day bar exam.