Arizona court system adopts cloud-based exhibit and evidence sharing platform to assist with virtual hearings
ABA JOURNAL — Arizona’s court system will begin utilizing Thomson Reuters’ cloud-based court exhibit and evidence sharing platform to assist with the handling of digital evidence across the state, it was announced Wednesday. The Digital Evidence Center tool will be helpful as most court hearings are held virtually due to COVID-19.
Read More about Arizona court system adopts cloud-based exhibit and evidence sharing platform to assist with virtual hearingsLaw firms testing platform to combat bias in hiring
ABA JOURNAL — Several BigLaw firms are testing a new AI-powered recruiting platform to combat unconscious bias in law firm hiring practices.The platform was offered last year to investment banking firms, which have since seen seven times more candidates from underrepresented groups and five times more candidates from nontarget schools.
Read More about Law firms testing platform to combat bias in hiringNational Conference of Bar Examiners task force releases recommendations to improve the bar exam
ABA JOURNAL — Bar exams of the future should be delivered online as an integrated test with scenarios to answer questions from, rather than in, sections with different formats, according to preliminary recommendations released Monday by the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ testing task force.
Read More about National Conference of Bar Examiners task force releases recommendations to improve the bar examABA publishes data on fall 2020 law school admissions and tuition
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION — Information about fall 2020 admissions and other matters reported by American Bar Association-approved law schools to the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is now publicly available. The information is required to be made public under Standard 509 of the Standards and Rules of Procedure.
Read More about ABA publishes data on fall 2020 law school admissions and tuitionChanges may be on the horizon for the bar exam
ABA JOURNAL — While there’s significant disagreement on how the bar exam should change, many believe it will, and there’s a wide range of ideas about what should happen. So far, suggestions for change include breaking the test into smaller segments and administering part of it in law school.
Read More about Changes may be on the horizon for the bar examLaw school non-JD degree programs saw uptick in enrollment in 2020
ABA JOURNAL — The total number of students at ABA-accredited law schools increased slightly this year. However, there was a small decrease in first-year enrollment, according to ABA data released Friday. According to the 2020 overview, 111 schools had “level or increased” 1L enrollment compared to 119 in 2019.
Read More about Law school non-JD degree programs saw uptick in enrollment in 2020ABA President Patricia Lee Refo issues statement condemning assault on the US Capitol
ABA JOURNAL — ABA President Patricia Lee Refo issued a statement Wednesday condemning “in the strongest terms” the assault on the U.S. Capitol by protesters supporting President Donald Trump. “Storming the Capitol and disrupting the procedure of certification is not a peaceful protest,” Refo said in the statement. “It is criminal conduct.”
Read More about ABA President Patricia Lee Refo issues statement condemning assault on the US CapitolUCLA Law professor Laura E. Gómez receives 2021 Outstanding Scholar Award from the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation
UCLA SCHOOL OF LAW — UCLA School of Law Professor Laura E. Gómez has been honored with the 2021 Outstanding Scholar Award from the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. She will receive the award – among the nation’s highest honors for scholarship in law or government – at the ABF’s annual banquet, which will be held virtually.
Read More about UCLA Law professor Laura E. Gómez receives 2021 Outstanding Scholar Award from the Fellows of the American Bar FoundationNew York October bar exam pass rate improves over 2019
ABA JOURNAL — New York’s bar exam, administered online in October, had an overall pass rate of 84%. According to a news release from the New York Board of Law Examiners, 5,150 people took the test. Comparatively, 7,916 people sat for the state’s July 2019 exam, and the overall pass rate was 76%.
Read More about New York October bar exam pass rate improves over 2019NALP report: Summer associate classes continue to shrink
ABA JOURNAL — Summer associate class sizes continued to shrink in 2020, mostly because of smaller programs in law firms of more than 700 lawyers, according to a survey released Wednesday by the National Association for Law Placement. The average summer program class size decreased to 11 down from 13 in 2019.
Read More about NALP report: Summer associate classes continue to shrink