Bar Exam

Making brown-bag meals for the needy helped this law student stay busy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic

Assembling sandwiches helped recent law school graduate Jacqueline Ingles focus during remote classes, and over the past year she made more than a thousand of them for the Chicago Help Initiative, a nonprofit group that takes food to pantries and free meal sites.

Jun 7, 2021 8:58 AM CDT

Online bar exams axed by NCBE beginning next year

Law grads taking bar exams developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners next year should expect to take the test in person.

Jun 3, 2021 1:04 PM CDT

These factors help predict whether a law grad will pass the bar on the first or second try, study says

A survey of law graduates who took the New York bar exam in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic has identified six factors that contribute to success.

May 24, 2021 1:41 PM CDT

Florida Coastal’s teach-out plan rejected again; another school demonstrates compliance on bar pass rates

For the second time in a month, the council and an executive committee of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has rejected a teach-out plan submitted by the Florida Coastal School of Law.

May 19, 2021 3:26 PM CDT

What associates have to know about making a lateral move to a new market out of state

The days when attorneys remained loyal to one firm for decades are, for the most part, long gone.

May 17, 2021 10:08 AM CDT

What comes next for law schools with two-year bar pass rates below 75%?

Of the 10 law schools that in 2020 received noncompliance notices for having two-year bar passage rates below 75%, half appear to again have pass rates that do not meet that threshold, according to ABA data released in April.

May 13, 2021 11:23 AM CDT

California bar entered $3.8M contract with ExamSoft without justifying value, auditor report says

When the State Bar of California selected ExamSoft as the software provider for its October 2020 remote bar exam, the test was administered appropriately, but the bar did not follow a procurement policy for outside vendors, according to a state auditor report.

May 4, 2021 2:43 PM CDT

2nd Circuit tosses Harvard Law grad’s Rehabilitation Act claim over bar exam accommodations

The New York State Board of Law Examiners has sovereign immunity from a lawsuit claim by a Harvard Law School graduate who sued over failure to accommodate her anxiety-related disability, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Apr 30, 2021 10:47 AM CDT

Data shows increase in both first-time and 2-year bar exam pass rates

Despite the coronavirus chaos around July 2020 bar exams—including health fears for in-person bars, software problems with remote tests and jurisdictions making last-minute date and format changes—the first-time pass rate actually increased from the previous year.

Apr 23, 2021 2:11 PM CDT

Several states consider lowering cut scores on bar exam, making it easier to pass

Rhode Island has followed California’s lead in lowering the bar exam cut score to make the test easier to pass, a step that several other states are also considering.

Mar 29, 2021 11:37 AM CDT

A COVID-19 year in review: Courts, juries and technology

Happy anniversary. It’s been about one year now since the world was introduced to the coronavirus pandemic. What else can we say? This is as good a time as any to reflect on the changes to the world, especially to the world of law.

Mar 10, 2021 12:33 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Another state plans remote bar exam in July; Texas AG sues electric company over huge bills

So far, 9 jurisdictions have plan for remote bar exam in July California’s July 2021 bar exam will be remote, the California Supreme Court announced Friday. The first testing day, on July 27, will consist of five one-hour essay questions and a 90-minute performance test, according to the administrative order.…

Mar 2, 2021 4:45 PM CST

4 more law schools found to be in compliance with ABA’s new bar passage standard

Of the 10 law schools that did not meet an accreditation standard in the summer of 2020 requiring a 75% bar passage rate, six have now demonstrated that they are in compliance.

Mar 1, 2021 3:25 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: California opens process for retroactive bar admission; judge suspended after election-fraud charge

California opens applications for retroactive bar admission Provisional licensure applications, for people who recently did not pass the California bar exam but would have with the new cut score, are now open. People who took the California bar exam between July 2015 and February 2020 and scored no lower than…

Feb 25, 2021 3:39 PM CST

Texas offers makeup bar exam because of deep freeze

Following Texas’ freezing February weather, which led to power outages, disrupted water service and more than 20 deaths, according to CNN, the Texas Board of Law Examiners announced Friday that it would offer a makeup bar exam in March in addition to the test that starts Tuesday.

Feb 23, 2021 10:00 AM CST