NU Law Grad Finishes Ill. Bar Exam 2 Hours Before Delivering Her First Baby

Think you had a harrowing time taking the bar exam? It probably can’t compare to Elana Nightingale Dawson’s experience. The 2011 Northwestern University Law School graduate sat for the Illinois bar in Chicago on July 27, and less than two hours after she finished gave birth to her first child,…

Jul 29, 2011 8:52 PM CDT

Think the Bar Exam Is Tough? Be Thankful You Don’t Live in Japan

Studying for the bar exam can be a grueling and pressure-filled process. But it’s worse in Japan, where so few people pass the bar that some law schools are voluntarily restricting enrollment. This year, Japanese law schools admitted 3,620 students, down from 5,800 in 2006, the New York Times reports.…

Jul 11, 2011 12:17 PM CDT

Can an Undocumented Immigrant Be Admitted to Practice? California Supreme Court Must Decide

Corrected: In what could be the first such case in the United States, a California State Bar panel is set to decide whether to deny an applicant a law license solely on the basis of his undocumented immigration status. Sergio Garcia was brought to this country from Mexico when he…

Jul 6, 2011 10:56 PM CDT

Blind Law Student Sues to Win Permission to Use Screenreader Software on Multistate Ethics Exam

Corrected: A blind student at Vermont Law School has filed a federal lawsuit against the National Conference of Bar Examiners, seeking permission to use the same screenreader software she relies on in her studies on the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination. The NCBE and co-defendant Act Inc. offer a number of…

Jul 6, 2011 12:09 AM CDT

UVa to Pay Bar Review Expenses for Law Grads Who Are Unemployed

For law graduates who don’t yet have jobs lined up, the University of Virginia is trying to eliminate a potential financial obstacle to getting licensed to practice. It will pay up to $500 in bar application costs and $1,500 in bar review expenses, reports Virginia Law Weekly. Hat tip: Above…

Apr 21, 2011 7:32 PM CDT

Suit Claims ‘Screaming Attacks’ by Nev. Bar Official Led to Grading Errors on 2010 Bar Exam

A lawsuit filed by three former employees of the State Bar of Nevada claims the group’s executive director “launched screaming attacks” on the bar’s admissions director that led to her resignation and mistakes in the grading of the February 2010 bar exam. According to the suit, the grading errors apparently…

Apr 5, 2011 11:58 AM CDT

CPA’s Stellar Law School Career Screeches to a Halt as St. John’s Rescinds His Admission

Third in his class at St. John’s University School of Law, a certified public accountant working at PricewaterhouseCoopers was looking ahead to a bright future in the law. But David Powers’ would-be legal career came to a screeching halt after he wrote to New York’s character and fitness committee to…

Feb 2, 2011 11:57 PM CST

Oxford Grad Blames UK Law School for Failing NY Bar Exam, Sues for $162K

A graduate of Oriel College at the renowned University of Oxford blames her law school for her failure to pass both the New York state bar exam and comparable tests in the United Kingdom that would have qualified her to work as a solicitor there, the Daily Mail reported. Now…

Feb 2, 2011 10:58 AM CST

Oregon Requires Yearlong Mentorship for Law Grads

Law school graduates taking the February bar exam in Oregon have learned in a letter from the state’s chief justice that they will be required to participate in a new mentoring program. The mandatory yearlong program is designed to help law grads who can’t find jobs after graduation, Oregon State…

Jan 18, 2011 2:11 PM CST

Law Grad with No Plan to Repay Debt Fails Character and Fitness Mandate, Ohio Top Court Says

Ohio State University law grad Hassan Jonathan Griffin of Columbus, Ohio, has a part-time job in the public defender’s office and no feasible plan to repay his law-school and credit-card debt. That combination means Griffin has so far failed to satisfy the character and fitness qualification to get a law…

Jan 13, 2011 3:42 PM CST

Would-Be Ind. Lawyers Who Sued over Mental Health Questions Protected in Discovery

A judge has prohibited Indiana bar examiners from conducting further discovery about the mental health of would-be lawyers who filed a class-action suit over treatment questions in applications for a law license. U.S. District Judge Tanya Pratt upheld a magistrate’s order barring the line of discovery, the National Law Journal…

Jan 5, 2011 5:40 PM CST

9th Circuit Rules Blind Law Grad Can Use Computer Aids, Despite Hacking Fears

A blind UCLA law grad should able to take the California bar exam using computer equipment that gives her the best chance of passing, a federal appeals court has ruled. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Stephanie Enyart should be able to use special equipment that…

Jan 5, 2011 2:57 PM CST

Law Prof Links Lawyer Regs and ‘Gaping Hole’ in Legal Services for Middle Class

A University of Illinois law professor thinks a change in lawyer regulations could help middle-class defendants who are being targeted in mass foreclosures and debt-collection suits. The answer, says corporate law professor Larry Ribstein, lies in a change in the “stranglehold” of lawyer regulations that prevent innovation and a focus…

Dec 1, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Uniform Bar Exam Is Picking Up Steam

Dec 1, 2010 6:25 AM CST

Outsourcing, Not Bar Review Prep, Evidently Part of Thomson Reuters’ Strategic Plan

Thomson Reuters, the owner of West Publishing and BarBri, has a new strategic plan, and it apparently does not include the bar prep business. Students taking the BarBri course got an e-mail yesterday evening informing them that BarBri’s parent company is exploring the possible sale of the business, Above the…

Nov 19, 2010 12:07 PM CST