There’s good news for Wisconsin law school students and graduates, who get to keep their “free pass.” The U.S. District Court dismissed the case that challenged Wisconsin’s “diploma privilege,” which allows graduates of ABA accredited Wisconsin law schools that teach Wisconsin law to practice in Wisconsin without sitting for the bar exam. Wisconsin agreed to pay the plaintiff, Corrine Wiesmueller, $7,500. She alleged that since the practice of law falls under interstate commerce, Wisconsin’s diploma privilege discriminates against out-of-state students who what to practice in Wisconsin and must sit for and pass the bar exam.
Wisconsin’s diploma privilege seems like a mutually beneficial arrangement for Wisconsin law students and the state’s interests. State law school graduates don’t have to deal with the time, stress, and expense of taking the bar exam. On the other hand, the state of Wisconsin has an incentive to offer some of its best students to stay and practice law in the state and it doesn’t have to devote as much resources to its bar exam process. What about out-of-state students who want to practice in Wisconsin – are they disadvantaged? Do you think other states should adopt a diploma privilege? Would you be more tempted to go to law school in a particular state with a diploma privilege?
Personally, if I knew I wanted to go into practice when I started law school and states with major cities and a healthy job market offered a diploma privilege, I would definitely take that into consideration!
Here’s a link to the original article.
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