ABA Board of Governors pass resolution urging states to allow emergency practice for new law graduates amid bar exam delays

April 21, 2020

INSIDE HIGHER ED — The American Bar Association’s Board of Governors passed a policy resolution this week urging state licensing authorities to allow 2019 and 2020 law graduates who can’t take the July bar exam to practice law in a limited capacity. Some jurisdictions already have canceled the July administration of the test due to COVID-19.

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Legal community reacts to ABA resolution on limited law practice for new graduates

April 21, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — Under the resolution, limited practice rules would apply to graduates of ABA-accredited law schools who graduated between 2019 and 2020 and have not yet taken the bar exam. Limited authorization would end if someone takes and fails a bar exam, and people who previously failed a bar exam would not be eligible under

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ABA Young Lawyers Division creates national hotline to connect those in need to legal services

April 20, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — The ABA Young Lawyers Division has created a national hotline to connect those needing legal services during the COVID-19 pandemic through its Disaster Legal Services Program. The toll-free number, provided by RingCentral Inc., is 888-743-5749, according to an ABA press release.

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Hawaii reschedules July bar exam to fall

April 7, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — The New York Court of Appeals announced Tuesday that the bar exam will take place shortly before or after the Labor Day holiday. Also on Tuesday, the Hawaii Supreme Court in an order announced that its July bar exam will be rescheduled for some time in the fall.

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New York reschedules July bar exam to early September

April 7, 2020

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION — Just one day after the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Task Force on the New York Bar Examination recommended that the postponed July bar exam be rescheduled for a date close to Labor Day, the Court of Appeals met and decided it agreed. In an announcement late Tuesday, the

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ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Education releases report on improving access to law school and the legal profession

March 23, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — The costs of legal education and licensure should not act as a barrier for the quality and availability of legal services, and legal education should not be one size fits all, according to commentary released Wednesday by the ABA’s Commission on the Future of Legal Education.

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A look at how the ABA bar passage standard changes are affecting law school accreditation

March 18, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — Under the old version of Standard 316, which sets bar passage requirements for ABA-accredited law schools, the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar entertained all sorts of exceptions—including having a 75% pass rate for all graduates over the five most recent calendar years, or at least

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ABA cancels some meetings in response to coronavirus

March 18, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — One of the canceled meetings was a Health Law Section conference on emerging issues in health care, where one of the topics set for discussion was privacy and the coronavirus. The meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday to Saturday in San Diego. It was canceled after California declared a state of emergency due to the

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ABA finds Golden Gate Law in compliance with admissions standard

March 18, 2020

ABA JOURNAL — Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco has demonstrated compliance with Standard 501, which deals with admissions, according to a notice from the council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar posted in February.

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William Adams to lead ABA legal education section

March 10, 2020

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION — William Adams, who served as deputy managing director of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar at the American Bar Association for 5½ years, has been promoted to managing director of Accreditation and Legal Education, the section’s top job.

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