ABA Journal, California Still Considering its Options to Remedy the Flubbed Bar Exam:
The State Bar of California’s board of trustees decided April 2 to hold off approving provisional licensing for February bar exam participants while it considers other options.
California’s provisional licensure program, launched in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, had been supported in March by the Committee of Bar Examiners as an option for candidates who failed or withdrew from the February bar exam. The program, ending Dec. 31, allows law school graduates to practice under the supervision of a licensed lawyer until they pass a bar exam.
The board’s decision came after public comments from law professors and examinees at the board’s meeting demanded remedies for the troubled exam.
Reuters, California Bar Hits Pause on Provisional Lawyer Licensing tied to Exam Meltdown:
The State Bar of California on Wednesday held off on approving a proposal to enable those who took or withdrew from its troubled February bar exam to temporarily practice under the supervision of an experienced lawyer until they can retake and pass the bar exam.
Members of the state bar's board of trustees said they want to see the results of the February test before deciding whether to extend an existing provisional licensure program, which it enacted in 2020 when the bar exam was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to include February examinees and those who withdrew in the run-up to that test. Several trustees mentioned the relatively low 35% historical average pass rate on California's February bar exam and the bar's duty to protect the public as reasons to be cautious about rushing to adopt alternative licensure pathways. Exam grading is slated to finish on May 2.
Trustee Mark Toney called the February bar exam a "huge failure," but said the board needs more data to decide "the right thing to do, not just the quick thing to do.
The Recorder, State Bar Leaders Press Pause on Provisional License Proposal:
Applicants who took California's problem-plagued February bar exam will have to wait at least several more weeks to find out what, if any, remedies state bar leaders will recommend they receive for enduring the technology-troubled test.
State bar trustees on Wednesday declined to endorse a proposal made in March by colleagues on the committee of bar examiners to provisionally license anyone who registered to take the February exam. After a lengthy, remote hearing, trustees said they want more information first on who—and how many people—passed the test, which is still being graded.
Bloomberg Law, California Bar Trustees Approve Overbudget In-Person July Exam:
The California State Bar’s Board of Trustees greenlit plans Wednesday to replace the proctoring service responsible for widespread exam problems in February, opting for a completely in-person July Bar Exam at as many as ten sites throughout the state.
The move will drive up costs significantly. July administration is now expected to cost the Bar at least $4.75 million, more than $2.3 million over what the Trustees approved in September when they pushed for a new, California-specific exam to save money, according to a staff memo. The Committee of Bar Examiners will vote on the sites in an April 8 meeting.
The marathon six-hour meeting ended with no immediate remedies for February test-takers. The trustees delayed acting on a proposal to expand the Bar’s provisional license program for February 2025 applicants that the Committee of Bar Examiners sought to send to the California Supreme Court.
Bloomberg Law, California State Bar Lawyer Exits Role Following Exam Chaos
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