Remote 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 licensingArizona bar exam taker petitions state for law license after testing software disruptions
BLOOMBERG LAW — A former law student in Arizona who failed an online bar exam is asking the state supreme court to license him anyway, claiming software flaws kept him from passing the test. The Oct. 26 petition by Jordan Evan Greenman said his screen going blank, and mouse and keyboard becoming disabled, during the July exam…
Read More about Arizona bar exam taker petitions state for law license after testing software disruptionsIndiana bar examiner Bradley Skolnik discusses the logistics of administering the test
THE INDIANA LAWYER — Two times each year, Bradley Skolnik, executive director of the Indiana Office of Admissions and Continuing Education, and his staff review every detail of the room where the applicants will literally sit for the bar exam. They will scrutinize the brightness of the lights, the temperature, and even the noise from the heating…
Read More about Indiana bar examiner Bradley Skolnik discusses the logistics of administering the testIndiana’s switch to the Uniform Bar Exam gives state’s law school graduates flexibility
THE INDIANA LAWYER — Benjamin Perry said he literally jumped for joy. The Notre Dame Law School graduate was among the nearly 250 new lawyers who were welcomed to the Indiana bar during the Indiana Supreme Court admission ceremony on Oct. 1. Perry traveled from South Bend with his wife and baby daughter as well as his…
Read More about Indiana’s switch to the Uniform Bar Exam gives state’s law school graduates flexibilityPodcast: Examining the future of the bar exam
BLOOMBERG LAW — The bar exam has been around in some form or another since the 1920s. However, it could be time for a change. The pandemic created challenges in administering the test. Some states allowed diploma privilege, others made significant changes. Many critics think it’s time to change the bar exam permanently—or even do away…
Read More about Podcast: Examining the future of the bar examPodcast: Legal experts discuss the value of the bar exam
BLOOMBERG LAW — In all U.S. jurisdictions except Wisconsin, passing a bar exam is a requirement to obtain a license to practice law. However, the Covid-19 pandemic forced some state authorities to adopt alternative paths to licensure for recent law school graduates. In the wake of those changes, criticism of the bar exam has blossomed into…
Read More about Podcast: Legal experts discuss the value of the bar examArizona State University Law celebrates graduates’ bar exam results
ASU NEWS — For the ninth consecutive year, the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University received the highest overall bar passage rate in Arizona, taking into account all first-time takers for the February and July Uniform Bar Exams, according to the July 2021 results released last month. This is the second time in recent years…
Read More about Arizona State University Law celebrates graduates’ bar exam resultsNew York July Bar Exam pass rate falls compared to 2020
ABA JOURNAL — The overall pass rate for the July bar exam in New York is 63%, the New York State Board of Law Examiners announced Oct. 28. A total of 9,227 candidates took the remote exam, according to a news release. It compares the July 2021 results to the July 2019 exam because both were a…
Read More about New York July Bar Exam pass rate falls compared to 2020Bar exam takers in California await results amid national trend of lower scores
REUTERS — New York released the results of its July bar exam late last week, leaving California as the last major jurisdiction with test takers still awaiting their scores. The Golden State—which traditionally has the second-largest number of bar examinees behind New York—is not expected to report results until Nov. 12. Bar exam results are important not…
Read More about Bar exam takers in California await results amid national trend of lower scores