Bar exam does little to ensure attorney competence, say lawyers in diploma privilege state

In his 60 years of law practice, Milwaukee attorney Franklyn M. Gimbel has known good and bad attorneys. And, according to him, whether they passed a bar exam, which in Wisconsin is not required for most in-state law school graduates, has no bearing on their lawyering abilities or character.

Apr 21, 2020 9:08 AM CDT

Utah Supreme Court considers diploma privilege; will other states follow?

In a move being described as brave by some academics, the Utah Supreme Court has announced it will consider diploma privilege with no bar passage requirement for recent law school graduates, given that the coronavirus pandemic makes the July bar exam seem unlikely at this point.

Apr 15, 2020 3:37 PM CDT

Legal community has mixed reactions to ABA resolution on limited law practice for recent grads

As law students worry about what the coronavirus pandemic will mean for their careers, some lawyers say those concerns should be eased by a Tuesday ABA resolution urging states to adopt emergency rules authorizing supervised limited practice for recent graduates, along with a bar pass requirement of no later than December 2021.

Apr 8, 2020 3:57 PM CDT

ABA Board of Governors backs limited practice for recent law school grads as they await bar exam

The board is urging states to adopt emergency rules authorizing limited practice with lawyer supervision for recent graduates if the coronavirus pandemic causes cancellations of July bar exams.

Apr 7, 2020 7:00 PM CDT

NCBE announces more bar exam dates, and 1 state has allowed supervised practice; will more follow?

While law students advocate for diploma privilege, and a growing number of deans are asking state supreme courts to consider supervised practice for 2020 graduates, the National Conference of Bar Examiners plans to proceed with administering the bar exam.

Apr 6, 2020 3:43 PM CDT

New York bar exam planned for September; Hawaii postpones exam, too

Apr 1, 2020 9:38 AM CDT

Three states postpone July bar exam; will others follow?

July bar exams in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut will be rescheduled, for the fall. They are the first jurisdictions to reschedule bar exams due to the coronavirus pandemic, and specific dates have not been scheduled yet.

Mar 30, 2020 8:55 AM CDT

Decision about releasing July bar exam materials will come in May, NCBE says

Mar 27, 2020 1:43 PM CDT

BarBri bar exam prep options will soon include streamed, real-time lectures

Mar 25, 2020 10:11 AM CDT

What alternatives to the July bar exam are being considered in light of COVID-19?

Mar 23, 2020 3:50 PM CDT

March LSAT canceled and National Conference of Bar Examiners monitoring July bar exam

Mar 17, 2020 2:36 PM CDT

Ethics and civil procedure are most important knowledge areas for new lawyers, survey says

A survey of nearly 15,000 lawyers sought to determine what knowledge, skills and abilities are needed by newly licensed attorneys.

Mar 12, 2020 12:04 PM CDT

Bar applicant with extreme school debt can sit for the bar, Ohio Supreme Court says

Cynthia Marie Rodgers, the Capital University School of Law graduate who got dinged on her Ohio character and fitness application for having almost $900,000 in school debt—and seemingly no clear…

Mar 6, 2020 3:05 PM CST

New York removes mental health question from state bar application

Feb 28, 2020 1:07 PM CST

Law schools see an increase in bar passage rates, new ABA data shows

Feb 18, 2020 2:41 PM CST