Indiana Allows 2020 Law Grads To Serve As Graduate Legal Interns And Take February 2021 Bar Exam

Following up on my previous posts (links below):  In the Matter of Graduate Legal Interns During COVID-19 Pandemic (Indiana Supreme Court Case No. 20S-MS-249 Apr. 8, 2020):

As a result of the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unclear whether the State Board of Law Examiners will be able to administer the Indiana bar examination in July 2020 as scheduled or at any later date in calendar year 2020. In addition, the disruptions to personal and professional lives caused by the pandemic may result in some prospective applicants not having the financial resources or sufficient time to prepare and sit for an Indiana bar examination in 2020 whether administered in July or later in the year. The National Conference of Bar Examiners will announce its plan for the multistate portions of the bar examination on or about May 5, 2020. The Court will announce its plan for the administration of the bar examination by May 8, 2020.

The Supreme Court therefore ORDERS that any graduate of an ABA accredited law school who graduated after November 2019, and has not sat for a bar examination in Indiana or any other jurisdiction prior to February 2021, may serve as a graduate legal intern under Admission and Discipline Rule 2.1, Section 1(b) until February 28, 2021. If the graduate sits for the February 2021 Indiana bar examination, the graduate’s status as a graduate legal intern will continue until notified of the results of the examination. If the graduate passes the examination, the status continues until the first opportunity thereafter for formal admission to the Bar of Indiana. If the graduate fails the examination, the status ends once the determination of failure is final after exhausting any appeals. Further adjustments and arrangements may be forthcoming as circumstances warrant.

TaxProf Blog coverage of the July 2020 bar exam:

• The Bar Exam And The COVID-19 Pandemic: The Need For Immediate Action (Mar. 14, 2020)
• NCBE To Decide By May 5 Whether It Will Provide MBE For July Bar Examinations (Mar. 27, 2020)
• New York Postpones July Bar Exam To Fall; Students Demand Emergency Diploma Privilege To Practice Law (Mar. 28, 2020)
• Massachusetts Joins New York In Postponing July Bar Exam (Mar. 30, 2020)
• Connecticut Is Third State To Postpone July Bar Exam (Mar. 31, 2020)
• Hawaii Is Fourth State To Postpone July Bar Exam (Apr. 2, 2020)
• New Jersey Is Fifth State To Postpone July Bar Exam, First To Offer 2020 Law Grads Temporary License To Practice (Apr. 7, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: ABA, Arizona, California, Florida, Tennessee, Vermont (Apr. 8, 2020)

For complete TaxProf Blog coverage of the coronavirus, see here.