COVID-19 concerns pressure states to consider bar exam delays
BLOOMBERG LAW — Bar exam developers are warning that some states may delay February’s tests for a month as the Covid-19 omicron variant spreads in the U.S. Most states will likely hold the exam in person on Feb. 22-23, but “testing materials will be available for makeup dates in late March,” the National Conference of Bar Examiners…
Read More about COVID-19 concerns pressure states to consider bar exam delaysOregon Supreme Court tentatively approves proposal for law practice licensing through supervision and experience
BEAUMONT ENTERPRISE — The Oregon Supreme Court has tentatively OK’d a proposal that would give would-be lawyers the option to skip the bar exam and instead become licensed to practice law through experience or supervision. The state’s highest court in a unanimous vote “expressed approval in concept” to a pair of alternative pathways designed for law students…
Read More about Oregon Supreme Court tentatively approves proposal for law practice licensing through supervision and experienceOpinion: Mental health questions on bar application prevent aspiring attorneys from seeking help
TEEN VOGUE — Weeks before the pandemic first began to ravage New York City, New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore announced that bar applicants will no longer have to answer intrusive questions about mental health conditions or treatment to become certified attorneys in the state via the Character and Fitness application. Upon hearing this news,…
Read More about Opinion: Mental health questions on bar application prevent aspiring attorneys from seeking helpStates face challenges planning the February bar exam in 2022
BLOOMBERG LAW — Several jurisdictions still don’t have plans in place—or haven’t made these plans public—for how the February 2022 bar exam will be administered, explains Greg Bordelon, associate law professor at the University of Maine. Resources are critical for state bar admissions staff to convey their plans to applicants and to successfully carry out in-person…
Read More about States face challenges planning the February bar exam in 2022Podcast: Southwestern Law professor Natalie Rodriguez and other experts discuss the Uniform Bar Exam
BLOOMBERG LAW — Some frustration with the bar exam comes not just because it’s a hard test. Differences in state licensing requirements can mean attorneys may have to take the bar exam multiple times. In the final episode of [Un]Common Law’s three-part look at the bar exam, we ask why can’t there be one bar exam for…
Read More about Podcast: Southwestern Law professor Natalie Rodriguez and other experts discuss the Uniform Bar ExamWillamette Law celebrates students who passed the bar amid the pandemic
WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY — During a traditional year, Willamette Law bustles with the sounds of students conversing in the halls, lectures being taught and events being held throughout the building. Since March 2020, when the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic, the hustle and bustle has dulled to a whisper. In fact, over the past…
Read More about Willamette Law celebrates students who passed the bar amid the pandemicTechnical problems again plague remote bar examinees, who blame software provider
ABA JOURNAL — Following various technical issues candidates faced with the remote October 2020 bar exam, the July 2021 online administration had problems as well, according to some test-takers. They reject software provider ExamSoft’s assertion that the complications were related to hardware. According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, 30 jurisdictions had remotely administered exams in…
Read More about Technical problems again plague remote bar examinees, who blame software providerCalifornia bar adjusts scores and offers waived test fees following technical glitches
REUTERS — The State Bar of California has taken the unusual step of adjusting the scores of 2,429 test takers who encountered tech problems during the online July 2021 bar exam. And it’s giving nearly 1,300 of them who failed another try at no extra cost. Bar officials said Friday that examinees who faced computer crashes or…
Read More about California bar adjusts scores and offers waived test fees following technical glitchesRemote learning and student burnout possible explanations for bar pass rate drop
ABA JOURNAL — Bar exam pass rates dropped in July 2021, and some fear another decrease for 2022 graduates nationally because most candidates will have experienced at least half their legal education during the pandemic. Related problems mentioned by academics include getting used to online learning, isolation, anxiety and exhaustion.“They have had the largest pandemic impact…
Read More about Remote learning and student burnout possible explanations for bar pass rate dropPodcast: Legal experts discuss arguments for and against diploma privilege for law practice licensing
BLOOMBERG LAW — In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, five U.S. jurisdictions opted to suspend their July 2020 bar exams. Instead, these jurisdictions granted licensure to new attorneys through “diploma privilege.” That’s the practice of admitting new attorneys to the state bar, and allowing them to practice law, contingent on their graduation from an ABA-accredited…
Read More about Podcast: Legal experts discuss arguments for and against diploma privilege for law practice licensing