Studies repeatedly identify research as a key skill for lawyers. NCBE's recent practice analysis ranks research as among the most critical and frequent tasks performed by new lawyers (p 42). Similarly, California's practice analysis puts research second on its list of key tasks (p 21).
The Building a Better Bar study identifies four types of research that new lawyers perform (pp 48-50):
Any licensing system should assess a potential lawyers' research skills. Some of these skills can be assessed through written exams with access to research materials. Others may be better tested through clinics, externships, or postgraduate supervised practice.