Bar Exam

Jurisdictions with COVID-19-related diploma privilege are going back to bar exam admissions

As of Dec. 3, the five jurisdictions with emergency diploma privilege precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic had announced plans for a remote bar exam in February 2021. None of the jurisdictions has yet released plans for July 2021 admissions, but law school deans in those regions are telling third-year students to plan for a bar exam.

Dec 10, 2020 3:16 PM CST

After being told they passed the bar, a group of Kentucky applicants find out otherwise

Because of an administrative error, 15 Kentucky bar applicants were incorrectly told that they passed the October remote bar exam.

Dec 4, 2020 1:22 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Good news for law grad who took bar exam while in labor; Boies Schiller leader leaves

Law grad passes bar exam after taking the test while in labor A graduate of the Loyola University Chicago School of Law has passed the bar exam, even though she went into labor while taking it and finished it the next day after giving birth. Brianna Hill said she slept…

Dec 3, 2020 4:36 PM CST

Pandemic problems may be defense for law schools not meeting bar passage standard

Law schools now must report the number of recent graduates admitted by diploma privilege in their annual questionnaires in addition to those who took and passed a bar exam.

Nov 23, 2020 8:53 AM CST

Law grad who flunked bar exam gets prison time for creating law firms and practicing law

A 2014 graduate of the Stetson University College of Law was sentenced to prison time Wednesday for practicing law even though she flunked the bar exam twice.

Nov 20, 2020 2:49 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Latham will pay fall bonuses; Reagan shooter may display artwork, judge rules

Latham will pay fall bonuses, donate $1M to fight hunger Latham & Watkins has announced that it will pay fall bonuses ranging from $7,500 to $40,000—the market scale for law firms that are paying the special bonuses. The firm also plans to donate $1 million to fight hunger and to…

Oct 29, 2020 4:15 PM CDT

New study suggests cutting bar exam multiple choice questions or making them open book

Bar exams should use multiple choice questions sparingly, if at all, replace essay questions with performance tests, and require supervised clinical work for licensure, according to a study focused on minimum competency to practice law by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.

Oct 29, 2020 10:48 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump faces suit over rape denial; Biden opposes SCOTUS term limits

Trump can be personally sued over rape denial A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday refused to substitute the federal government as the defendant in a defamation suit filed against President Donald Trump by a woman who accused him of rape. The plaintiff, journalist E. Jean Carroll, had alleged that…

Oct 27, 2020 3:58 PM CDT

Amid claims that online bar exam went well, some test-takers have a different view

ExamSoft, the company that provided the software for the two-day online bar exam offered earlier this month, maintains that only a small percentage of test-takers experienced problems with their product. But for those who did, many say there should have been no issues and some suspect the hitches were expected by the company.

Oct 20, 2020 9:28 AM CDT

Law school dean ‘devastated’ about flubbed email with bar exam grades

William C. Hubbard, the new dean of the University of South Carolina School of Law and a former ABA president, accidentally emailed students a file with recent graduates’ confidential bar exam grades and information about whether they passed or failed the test.

Oct 14, 2020 11:22 AM CDT

Woman goes into labor during bar exam and finishes the test

A recent graduate of the Loyola University Chicago School of Law was determined to finish the bar exam, despite going into labor during the remote test.

Oct 9, 2020 11:51 AM CDT

Would-be lawyer, 87, wants to try to pass the bar again, but obstacles remain

An 87-year-old would-be lawyer wants to take another crack at the California bar exam after failing four times in the 1960s.

Oct 6, 2020 11:31 AM CDT

Divided DC appeals court announces bar exam waiver as 1 option for licensing

A divided District of Columbia Court of Appeals granted Thursday what it describes as an "emergency examination waiver" admission to practice law with various restrictions.

Sep 25, 2020 3:07 PM CDT

Bar exam in hotel rooms offered test-takers social distancing and private bathrooms

Among the many worries for people taking recent in-person bar exams during the COVID-19 pandemic, some were logistical: How could they maintain social distancing during the test? Would public restrooms be germ magnets? Could they safely eat with others? Hotel rooms could be the answer to those concerns.

Sep 22, 2020 1:56 PM CDT

California Supreme Court lawyer shares supervised practice idea for unsuccessful bar applicants

In August, the California Supreme Court announced that a lowered bar exam cut score will not retroactively apply to candidates who previously failed the test.

Sep 21, 2020 10:38 AM CDT