New York legislators sponsor bill to grant diploma privilege for new law graduates

September 1, 2020

THE DAILY NEWS — Recent law graduates must have diploma privilege during the coronavirus pandemic, panelists said Tuesday, as candidates face inequities and security risks to digitally take the state bar examination after the test was postponed a second time last month.

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New York law professors, graduates, and state legislators urge bar exam authorities waive bar exam

September 1, 2020

BLOOMBERG LAW — Law school graduates, professors, and state legislators urged New York bar exam authorities to consider veering away from the state’s planned October online test.

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New York announces bar exam reciprocity agreement with nine jurisdictions

September 1, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — New York has announced reciprocity agreements with some jurisdictions also offering the October online bar exam, which will use National Conference of Bar Examiners testing materials.

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Several states encounter tech and privacy issues related to online bar exams

September 1, 2020

BLOOMBERG LAW — As about 30,000 would-be lawyers prepare to take online bar exams in New York, California, and 16 other states in early October, many have said they’re grateful to avoid the health risks that come with taking an in-person test alongside hundreds of others during a pandemic.

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Test takers in several states express concern about in-person bar exams

August 20, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — Following an in-person July bar exam, some North Carolina test-takers claim that public health measures were not handled properly during the administration of the test amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, in Colorado, one bar candidate found out that she tested positive for the novel coronavirus shortly after the exam ended.

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Some states create new bar exam reciprocity agreements amid pandemic

August 20, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the October online bar exam planned by the National Conference of Bar Examiners has been described by the organization as an “emergency remote testing option.” Additionally, it will not offer a portable score because it’s shorter than the Uniform Bar Exam.

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Law graduates express concern over in-person Alaska Bar Exam

August 20, 2020

ALASKA PUBLIC MEDIA — With coronavirus on the upswing, a group of recent law school graduates say it’s too risky to sit indoors for the Bar exam. They’re asking the Alaska Supreme Court to allow applicants to practice law without taking the two-day proctored test.

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California Supreme Court issues order to permanently lower bar exam score

August 20, 2020

TIMES OF SAN DIEGO — The California Supreme Court issued an order Monday to permanently lower the passing score for the state’s bar exam by 50 points and administer the test online in October as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

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California Supreme Court will not retroactively apply lower passing score to past bar exams

August 20, 2020

JD JOURNAL — The California Supreme Court issued an order Monday making a lower passing score for the state’s bar exam official, but it also announced that the new cut score would not apply retroactively.

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Law deans and firm leaders urge DC Court of Appeals to adopt diploma privilege for new law graduates

August 20, 2020

BLOOMBERG LAW — The push to allow lawyers to practice without passing the bar exam in Washington, D.C. has gained some heavyweight support. Former Acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal and Sean Marotta, another Hogan Lovells Supreme Court practice group partner, urged the D.C. Court of Appeals on Wednesday to adopt a “diploma privilege.”

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