While one monopoly is bad, is two any better? I hope this does not impact the independents.
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In a press release yesterday, Kaplan announced that it has acquired The Study Group, a nationwide provider of self-study bar review with home study course offerings for full-service bar review in 30 U.S. states, including California.

You probably won't see too many news sources covering this, but it's news for law students in California. Here, law students contemplating the CA Bar exam will have more than one obvious option. Why is this news important for law students? Isn't Bar/Bri good enough, regardless of any antitrust issues? After all, we just want to pass the bar, right? It's news because competition means that the courses will get better and the prices will get lower (see Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations).

This also means that relatively new law students won't be herded into one bar preparation program without other options. I hope this also means that, after paying a fortune, recent grads will be doing something a little more innovative than meeting at a hotel with with a hundred other students watching VHS tapes.
Category: Bar Exam - General