Massachusetts reschedules July bar exam to fall
THE BOSTON GLOBE — The Massachusetts bar exam for newly minted law school graduates will be postponed from July to the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the state Supreme Judicial Court and Board of Bar Examiners.
Read More about Massachusetts reschedules July bar exam to fallNew York reschedules July bar exam to early September
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…
Read More about New York reschedules July bar exam to early SeptemberMichigan removes mental health questions from bar exam
LANSING STATE JOURNAL — The Michigan Supreme Court announced Wednesday it had directed the Board of Law Examiners to remove questions that ask for details about applicants’ mental health histories.
Read More about Michigan removes mental health questions from bar examReport: Law students avoid mental health treatment out of state bar admission concerns
INSIDER — A high proportion of law students say they do not seek mental health treatment out of fear that it will scupper their career prospects, sparking a debate about how best to support the millions of young people entering the profession every year.
Read More about Report: Law students avoid mental health treatment out of state bar admission concernsLaw schools see increase in bar pass rates for graduates
ABA JOURNAL — The bar passage rate for first-time test-takers has increased by nearly 5 percentage points, according to data released Monday by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. First-time test-takers who graduate from an ABA-accredited law school in 2019 have an aggregate pass rate of 79.64%, compared to 74.83% for 2018…
Read More about Law schools see increase in bar pass rates for graduatesWMU-Cooley Law president and dean James McGrath lays out vision for the school
THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION — I can think of many such schools but will focus on the one I know best — Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, where I serve as President and Dean. One example of how we are not following the pack is in our authentic commitment to law school access…
Read More about WMU-Cooley Law president and dean James McGrath lays out vision for the schoolOhio State University Law professor Deborah Merritt to conduct study of bar exam
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MORITZ COLLEGE OF LAW — Professor Deborah Jones Merritt has accumulated just about every teaching award The Ohio State University can offer. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she is also working on an important study concerning the bar exam.
Read More about Ohio State University Law professor Deborah Merritt to conduct study of bar examExperts discuss bar exam reform
ABA JOURNAL — Regardless of where one stands on its effectiveness, in recent years, there has been a significant amount of ongoing research looking at whether the bar exam as we know it is a good tool to assess if someone is ready to practice law. Between 2018 and 2019 three legal organizations funded separate studies…
Read More about Experts discuss bar exam reformA look at law school bar exam pass rates and accreditation issues
ABA JOURNAL — But for a small number of schools found to be out of compliance with an ABA accreditation admissions standard, some have concerns that even with bar pass rate improvements, they still may not meet a new standard that requires pass rates of at least 75% for graduates who took a bar exam in…
Read More about A look at law school bar exam pass rates and accreditation issuesPodcast: How to ace the bar exam
LEGAL TALK NETWORK — Joe and Elie chat with Rich Douglas, COO of Themis, about the bar exam and how to conquer it. Rich also tells us about the Themis Law School Essentials program of free review materials for law school courses and we discuss the impact the GRE is going to have on law school admissions.
Read More about Podcast: How to ace the bar exam