Bar Exam

Want to Lower the Cost of Law School and Legal Advice? Allow Nonlawyers to Practice Law, Op-Ed Says

An op-ed proposes one way to lower the cost of a legal education: Drop the requirement altogether. If states allowed nonlawyers and corporations to practice law, the price of legal advice would drop and more consumers could afford it, according to a New York Times op-ed by Clifford Winston, a…

Oct 25, 2011 11:33 AM CDT

Law Grad Who Went into Labor During Bar Exam Passes the Test

A Northwestern University law graduate who went into labor during the Illinois bar exam got some good news earlier this month. Elana Nightingale Dawson learned she passed the exam, the Daily Herald reports. She gave birth to her son, Wilson Nightingale Dawson, two hours after finishing the test on July…

Oct 11, 2011 3:12 PM CDT

Ethics 20/20 Commission Proposes to Remove More Barriers to Cross-Border Practice

The ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 this week posted its latest series of draft proposals for comment. The four proposals largely focus on how ethics rules should be amended to make it easier for lawyers in the United States to engage in cross-border practice. Three of the preliminary recommendations would…

Sep 9, 2011 5:45 PM CDT

Mississippi Shortens Bar Exam

The Mississippi Supreme Court has ordered its three-day bar examine cut to two days. The court approved the petition of proposed amendments submitted by the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions this week, which shortens the exam to 13½ hours, not counting the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. Justice Michael K. Randolph,…

Aug 26, 2011 7:30 PM CDT

Judge Allows Visually Impaired Law Student to Use Screenreader Software for Multistate Ethics Exam

Corrected: A visually impaired student at Vermont Law School will be able to use screenreader software for her multistate ethics exam as a result of a federal judge’s ruling. Deanna Jones of Middlesex, Vt., will use the software when she takes the exam on Friday, report the Associated Press and…

Aug 3, 2011 1:28 PM CDT

NU Law Grad Finishes Ill. Bar Exam 2 Hours Before Delivering Her First Baby

Think you had a harrowing time taking the bar exam? It probably can’t compare to Elana Nightingale Dawson’s experience. The 2011 Northwestern University Law School graduate sat for the Illinois bar in Chicago on July 27, and less than two hours after she finished gave birth to her first child,…

Jul 29, 2011 8:52 PM CDT

Think the Bar Exam Is Tough? Be Thankful You Don’t Live in Japan

Studying for the bar exam can be a grueling and pressure-filled process. But it’s worse in Japan, where so few people pass the bar that some law schools are voluntarily restricting enrollment. This year, Japanese law schools admitted 3,620 students, down from 5,800 in 2006, the New York Times reports.…

Jul 11, 2011 12:17 PM CDT

Can an Undocumented Immigrant Be Admitted to Practice? California Supreme Court Must Decide

Corrected: In what could be the first such case in the United States, a California State Bar panel is set to decide whether to deny an applicant a law license solely on the basis of his undocumented immigration status. Sergio Garcia was brought to this country from Mexico when he…

Jul 6, 2011 10:56 PM CDT

Blind Law Student Sues to Win Permission to Use Screenreader Software on Multistate Ethics Exam

Corrected: A blind student at Vermont Law School has filed a federal lawsuit against the National Conference of Bar Examiners, seeking permission to use the same screenreader software she relies on in her studies on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. The NCBE and co-defendant Act Inc. offer a number of…

Jul 6, 2011 12:09 AM CDT

UVa to Pay Bar Review Expenses for Law Grads Who Are Unemployed

For law graduates who don’t yet have jobs lined up, the University of Virginia is trying to eliminate a potential financial obstacle to getting licensed to practice. It will pay up to $500 in bar application costs and $1,500 in bar review expenses, reports Virginia Law Weekly. Hat tip: Above…

Apr 21, 2011 7:32 PM CDT

Suit Claims ‘Screaming Attacks’ by Nev. Bar Official Led to Grading Errors on 2010 Bar Exam

A lawsuit filed by three former employees of the State Bar of Nevada claims the group’s executive director “launched screaming attacks” on the bar’s admissions director that led to her resignation and mistakes in the grading of the February 2010 bar exam. According to the suit, the grading errors apparently…

Apr 5, 2011 11:58 AM CDT

CPA’s Stellar Law School Career Screeches to a Halt as St. John’s Rescinds His Admission

Third in his class at St. John’s University School of Law, a certified public accountant working at PricewaterhouseCoopers was looking ahead to a bright future in the law. But David Powers’ would-be legal career came to a screeching halt after he wrote to New York’s character and fitness committee to…

Feb 2, 2011 11:57 PM CST

Oxford Grad Blames UK Law School for Failing NY Bar Exam, Sues for $162K

A graduate of Oriel College at the renowned University of Oxford blames her law school for her failure to pass both the New York state bar exam and comparable tests in the United Kingdom that would have qualified her to work as a solicitor there, the Daily Mail reported. Now…

Feb 2, 2011 10:58 AM CST

Oregon Requires Yearlong Mentorship for Law Grads

Law school graduates taking the February bar exam in Oregon have learned in a letter from the state’s chief justice that they will be required to participate in a new mentoring program. The mandatory yearlong program is designed to help law grads who can’t find jobs after graduation, Oregon State…

Jan 18, 2011 2:11 PM CST

Law Grad with No Plan to Repay Debt Fails Character and Fitness Mandate, Ohio Top Court Says

Ohio State University law grad Hassan Jonathan Griffin of Columbus, Ohio, has a part-time job in the public defender’s office and no feasible plan to repay his law-school and credit-card debt. That combination means Griffin has so far failed to satisfy the character and fitness qualification to get a law…

Jan 13, 2011 3:42 PM CST