July Bar Exam Update: Georgia, Tennessee, Virgin Islands

Georgia Supreme Court, In re: Provisional Admission to the Practice of Law in Georgia (Apr. 17, 2020):

[T]he Supreme Court of Georgia has determined that the July 2020 administration of the Georgia bar examination should be postponed. To the extent that circumstances permit the administration of the bar examination in September 2020, the Court has directed the Board of Bar Examiners and the Office of Bar Admissions to make the necessary arrangements for the administration of the bar examination on September 9 and 10. The Court recognizes that the postponement of the bar examination may limit the employment prospects and impair the livelihoods of persons who recently have graduated from law school, as well as persons admitted to the practice of law in other jurisdictions who recently have moved to Georgia and are not eligible at this time for admission here without examination. The Court seeks to mitigate these economic hardships while fulfilling its responsibility to protect the public by ensuring that persons engaged in the practice of law are competent to do so. Accordingly, and after consultations with the president of the State Bar of Georgia, the deans of the law schools in Georgia, and the Board of Bar Examiners, the Court issues this emergency order, effective June 1, 2020, to authorize the provisional admission of certain persons to the practice of law for a limited time.

Tennessee Supreme Court Announces Additional Bar Examination Date (Apr. 17, 2020):

The Supreme Court announced today that, in addition to the July bar examination currently scheduled to take place July 29 - 30, 2020, the Board of Law Examiners will offer an examination on September 30 – October 1, 2020 (the “October Exam”). Applicants who previously submitted an application for the July Exam will be given the alternative to move to the October Exam. The Court’s Order filed April 2, 2020, anticipated the deployment of an additional exam, and set out a clear path for the Board and applicants to follow in that Order.

The July Exam will be given in Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville. The October Exam will be offered in Knoxville only. Those who have not yet submitted an application for the July Exam will be given the option to select one of the three locations for the July Exam or select the October Exam.

“The Board is pleased to be able to offer an option to the July Exam,” said Bill Harbison, President of the Board of Law Examiners. “Because of on-going concerns about social distancing during the examination, the addition of another exam in a very large space will give the Board and applicants the flexibility to provide maximum space between test-takers, as well as provide a safety net in the event we remain under “Safer at Home” orders or the NCBE does not deploy a July Exam.”

The initial deadline for applications is May 1 and the final deadline is May 20. Instructions for “how to apply” can be found here. Applicants for either the July Exam or the October Exam will use the application for the July Exam and must meet the current deadlines. New procedures are in place for items that were required to be mailed to the office of the Board of Law Examiners.

Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands Administrative Order (Apr. 16, 2020):

1. The July 2020 administration of the Virgin Islands Bar Examination is postponed to September 2020. The Supreme Court shall, in a future order, determine the date of the September 2020 administration.
2. All individuals who are registered for the July 2020 administration of the Virgin Islands Bar Examination will have their registration automatically transferred to the September 2020 administration when the date of that administration is determined. An applicant who is unable to sit for the September 2020 administration may elect to have the registration transferred to the February 2021 or July 2021 administrations, or may request a refund of any fees already paid. The deadline for an applicant to transfer registration or request a refund shall be set after the date of the September 2020 administration is determined. 
3. The May 1 timely filing deadline and June 1 untimely filing deadline for the July administration of the Virgin Islands Bar Examination established in Supreme Court Rule 204(c)(1)-(2), and the June 1 deadline to request special accommodations for the July administration, shall not be applicable to the September 2020 administration. The Supreme Court shall fix all deadlines applicable to the September 2020 administration in a future order once the dates of the September 2020 administration are finalized.

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)
• Indiana Allows 2020 Law Grads To Serve As Graduate Legal Interns And Take February 2021 Bar Exam (Apr. 9, 2020)
• Utah To Let Grads Skip Bar Exam Due To COVID-19, But Only From Schools With 86%+ Bar Pass Rate; Grads Of Just 4 Of California's 21 Law Schools Would Qualify (Apr. 11, 2020)
• Licensing Lawyers In A Pandemic: Proving Competence (Apr. 12, 2020)
• Even In Time Of Crisis, Hold Fast To Bar Exam (Apr. 13, 2020)
• Bar Exam Federalism During The COVID-19 Pandemic (Apr. 14, 2020)
• State Bar Tells California Supreme Court: Delay Or Cancel July Bar Exam (Apr. 15, 2020)
• July Bar Exam Update: Maine, Rhode Island (Apr. 16, 2020)
• Letter From California State Bar To California Supreme Court On July Bar Exam (Apr. 17, 2020)

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