As of last week, it’s now possible to “ace” the bar exam in Tennessee. Last week it was announced that Tennessee will begin grading applicants’ bar exams this February, instead of just issuing a pass/fail result. Candidates will now receive a number score on the essay portion of the bar exam. More information can be found in this article, “New Tenn. bar exam not just pass-fail, but grades candidates.”
Perhaps some other states might soon follow their lead?
More good news for Wisconsin law school students and graduates: the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided to keep the diploma privilege on Monday. We have kept you posted on this issue, but for a quick refresher, Wisconsin’s “diploma privilege,” allows graduates of ABA accredited Wisconsin law schools that teach Wisconsin law to practice in Wisconsin without sitting for the bar exam. Despite allegations that the rule discriminates against out-of-state students who want to practice in Wisconsin, the Supreme Court justices decided to keep the practice and rejected a proposal from a group of lawyers to allow all law school graduates to skip the bar exam or require that everyone must sit for it. For more information, check out the full article, High Court Keeps ‘Diploma Privilege’ Rule. In addition, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Board of Governors has officially declared its opposition of attempts to eliminate Wisconsin’s diploma privilege. To read more, see BOG opposes diploma privilege petition from the Wisconsin Law Journal.
Thanks to an announcement made last month, it sounds like graduates of non-ABA approved law schools will eventually have more options when it comes to choosing a jurisdiction to practice in. The Minnesota Supreme Court signaled that it intends to allow some graduates of law schools not accredited by the American Bar Association to take the Minnesota Bar Exam.
In response to a petition filed with the Court in April 2009 and review of the Board of Bar Examiners’ report on this petition, the Court determined that it will consider an amendment to the Rules for Admission to the Bar that would permit a licensed attorney who has successfully practiced law in another U.S. jurisdiction for a substantial number of years to sit for the Minnesota bar exam despite having not graduated from ABA accredited law school.
The Board must file the proposed rule amendment with the Court by Sept. 30, 2010, and then it will be scheduled for public comment and hearing.
What do you think about these possible changes? How does it affect graduates of non-ABA approved law schools? What are its affects on the goal to establish an education standard, competency, bar admission, and the current job market? Share your comments!