ABA Journal

Bar Exam

531 ABA Journal Bar Exam articles.

Utah is first state to grant diploma privilege during novel coronavirus pandemic

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the Utah Supreme Court approved temporary diploma privilege Tuesday for individuals who are scheduled to take the July bar exam and graduated from ABA-accredited law schools with first-time bar passage rates of at least 86%.

Average multistate bar exam score drops to new low, raising concerns about bar pass rates

The average scaled score for the multistate bar exam dropped to a new low of 132.6 for February test-takers, raising concerns that bar pass rates will also drop.

Bar exam does little to ensure attorney competence, say lawyers in diploma privilege state

In his 60 years of law practice, Milwaukee attorney Franklyn M. Gimbel has known good and bad attorneys. And, according to him, whether they passed a bar exam, which in Wisconsin is not required for most in-state law school graduates, has no bearing on their lawyering abilities or character.

Utah Supreme Court considers diploma privilege; will other states follow?

In a move being described as brave by some academics, the Utah Supreme Court has announced it will consider diploma privilege with no bar passage requirement for recent law school graduates, given that the coronavirus pandemic makes the July bar exam seem unlikely at this point.

Legal community has mixed reactions to ABA resolution on limited law practice for recent grads

As law students worry about what the coronavirus pandemic will mean for their careers, some lawyers say those concerns should be eased by a Tuesday ABA resolution urging states to adopt emergency rules authorizing supervised limited practice for recent graduates, along with a bar pass requirement of no later than December 2021.

ABA Board of Governors backs limited practice for recent law school grads as they await bar exam

The board is urging states to adopt emergency rules authorizing limited practice with lawyer supervision for recent graduates if the coronavirus pandemic causes cancellations of July bar exams.

NCBE announces more bar exam dates, and 1 state has allowed supervised practice; will more follow?

While law students advocate for diploma privilege, and a growing number of deans are asking state supreme courts to consider supervised practice for 2020 graduates, the National Conference of Bar Examiners plans to proceed with administering the bar exam.

New York bar exam planned for September; Hawaii postpones exam, too

The New York Court of Appeals announced Tuesday that the bar exam will take place shortly before or after the Labor Day holiday. Also, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore is looking into supervised practice for law school graduates.

Three states postpone July bar exam; will others follow?

July bar exams in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut will be rescheduled, for the fall. They are the first jurisdictions to reschedule bar exams due to the coronavirus pandemic, and specific dates have not been scheduled yet.

Decision about releasing July bar exam materials will come in May, NCBE says

The National Conference of Bar Examiners, which develops and produces the attorney licensing tests used by most U.S. jurisdictions, will announce in early May whether its tests will be released for the July bar exam.

BarBri bar exam prep options will soon include streamed, real-time lectures

Whether the July bar exam will actually take place as traditionally scheduled is unknown, but starting in May, anyone who wants to study for it has the option of watching livestreamed BarBri lectures with moderated questions and answers.

What alternatives to the July bar exam are being considered in light of COVID-19?

Given that COVID-19 restrictions prohibit large gatherings for the foreseeable future, administration of the July 2020 bar exam seems unlikely, according to a working paper released Sunday by a group of legal academics. It calls for states to consider diploma privilege for 2020 law school graduates, as well as supervised practice.

March LSAT canceled and National Conference of Bar Examiners monitoring July bar exam

In light of the coronavirus, the March Law School Admission Test has been canceled.

Ethics and civil procedure are most important knowledge areas for new lawyers, survey says

A survey of nearly 15,000 lawyers sought to determine what knowledge, skills and abilities are needed by newly licensed attorneys.

Bar applicant with extreme school debt can sit for the bar, Ohio Supreme Court says

Cynthia Marie Rodgers, the Capital University School of Law graduate who got dinged on her Ohio character and fitness application for having almost $900,000 in school debt—and seemingly no clear…

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