Bar Exam

Law grad with sleep apnea isn’t entitled to accommodation in bar admission process, court says

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld a decision to deny bar admission to a Florida Coastal law grad who contended his sleep apnea should have been accommodated as a disability during the application process.

Aug 29, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

Does the adoption of the uniform bar exam foreshadow uniform regulation?

It seems a reasonable extrapolation to wonder whether, when, and how there will be more uniform regulation of lawyers once they have been admitted to the practice of law. Are we moving toward more national standards for attorney regulation?

Jul 31, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

Ceiling leaks pause Colorado Bar Exam

Tuesday was a watershed day for some Colorado Bar Exam test-takers.

Jul 25, 2018 4:19 PM CDT

Online tool—still in beta testing—aims for better bar study technique

Online bar review can be more effective than in-person lectures, because data from users' study time pinpoints their strengths and weaknesses, and can help design individual study schedules based on the information, says Matt Sellers, whose law school e-learning company Quimbee is currently beta testing a Uniform Bar Examination study offering that he plans to release to the public in time for the February 2019 exam.

Jul 10, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

ADA lawsuit about Florida bar examiners’ mental health requirements allowed to proceed

A federal judge in Florida has allowed a suit by a law student to go forward against the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, alleging that the board violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by requiring candidates with mental health conditions to undergo and pay for invasive procedures.

Jul 9, 2018 2:49 PM CDT

What advice do you have for someone studying for the bar exam?

School is out, and for recent law school graduates, it's bar exam season.

Jun 6, 2018 1:58 PM CDT

Studying for the bar? Put down the phone—or not

The days of attending bar review classes in person are waning, say law school deans, and recent graduates preparing for the bar now do a great deal of studying on smartphones with offerings like streamed lectures, flashcard apps and even YouTube songs devoted to thinking through statutes and case law.

May 22, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Pass rate for February’s California state bar exam drops by more than 7 percentage points

Continuing a downward trend in recent years, the overall pass rate for February's California state bar exam was 27.3 percent, according to a State Bar of California press release issued Friday.

May 21, 2018 1:35 PM CDT

Charlotte School of Law sues ABA, arguing it was never out of compliance with bar pass rule

Updated: Following the Florida Coastal School of Law lawsuit filed against the American Bar Association last week, another InfiLaw school, the now-shuttered Charlotte School of Law, has sued the organization, arguing the ABA violated the law school's due process rights when it placed the law school on probation in November 2016.

May 15, 2018 6:31 PM CDT

Multistate Bar Exam average score for February drops to apparent new low

Compared to last year, there were 5 percent fewer test-takers for the February 2018 multistate bar exam, and the average score decreased from last year's 134.1 to 132.8, according to information released Wednesday by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Apr 19, 2018 4:35 PM CDT

People can change, Washington Supreme Court says regarding bar applicant with felony convictions

In explaining a ruling that allowed a law school graduate and Skadden Fellow with a criminal past and in recovery for substance abuse to sit for the state bar, the Washington Supreme Court wrote that “one’s past does not dictate one’s future.” Tarra Simmons, a magna cum laude graduate of…

Apr 6, 2018 2:02 PM CDT

New bar exam data released: Pass rate up almost 3 percentage points

The aggregate first-time bar passage rate for the class of 2017 was 77.2 percent—an increase from 2016, when the first time pass rate was 74.3 percent, according to data released Thursday by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Mar 22, 2018 1:52 PM CDT

BARBRI settles suit by blind law students who alleged bar prep materials weren’t fully accessible

BARBRI has agreed to make its online bar-review products more accessible to blind and vision-impaired students as part of a consent decree in a disability suit. The suit settled this week, according to a press release. The suit, filed last year in Dallas federal court, had claimed violations of the…

Jan 24, 2018 11:24 AM CST

Most California ABA-accredited law schools see first-time bar pass rates rise in July 2017

Seventeen of California's 21 ABA-accredited law schools saw first-time test-taker pass rates increase for the July 2017 bar exam. Four of those 17 schools recorded first-time pass rates below 55 percent.

Jan 3, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Safe for work: Top legal news 2017

Law-office coffee breaks come with a strong dose of law-focused chatter. In 2017, Trump administration legal initiatives were a constant source of politically charged news. But headlines that drew the most interest were largely calming water-cooler distractions.

Dec 22, 2017 7:00 AM CST