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Paul L. Caron
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Wednesday, April 29, 2020

July Bar Exam Update: New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania

CoronavirusNew Mexico Supreme Court, In the Matter of the Administration of the Bar Examination By the New Mexico Board of Bar Examiners During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency:

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the bar examination previously 17 scheduled to take place in July 2020 shall be postponed until September 2020, 18 subject to the requirements set forth in this order;

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the “in-person attendance” requirement for successful completion of the course on New Mexico law under Rule 15-103(G) NMRA may be satisfied via a live, web-based instruction platform approved by the Board of Bar Examiners until further order of the Court;

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that an ad hoc working group shall be formed by the executive director of the Board of Bar Examiners to identify possible venues to recommend to this Court for a rescheduled bar examination to take place 6 in September 2020, and, in making its recommendation, the ad hoc working group shall focus on the possibility of administering the September bar examination from multiple, small-group venues at the same time if necessary to comply with gathering restrictions that still may be in place at that time because of the ongoing 10 and evolving public health emergency;

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the ad hoc working group shall develop a 12 recommendation for a temporary, alternative practice program that would provide 13 a limited, supervised opportunity for legal practice by applicants awaiting an 14 opportunity to take a bar examination should an ongoing public health emergency 15 require the cancellation of the anticipated -- but yet to be scheduled -- September 16 2020 bar examination ...

Law.com, NY Law Grads Can Do 'Limited' Legal Work Under Supervision, Chief Judge Says:

The chief judge in New York state said Tuesday that recent law graduates who had planned to take the bar exam this summer will be temporarily allowed to practice law under the supervision of a qualified attorney until testing delays and capacity constraints are resolved.

Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, who previously delayed the state’s July bar exam to Sept. 9 and 10, said travel and public gatherings constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic would likely limit the number of people could take the exam. “Seating capacity for the September examination is likely to be limited,” the court said.

In response, the judge has approved a “comprehensive and streamlined program designed to provide temporary authorization for qualified law graduates to engage in the limited practice of law,” the court announced in an email Tuesday.

North Carolina, July 2020 Bar Examination Update:

The chief judge in New York state said Tuesday that recent law graduates who had planned to take the bar exam this summer will be temporarily allowed to practice law under the supervision of a qualified attorney until testing delays and capacity constraints are resolved.

The North Carolina Board of Law Examiners (“NCBLE”) presently intends to administer the July 2020 bar examination on July 28-29, 2020.  The NCBLE is working with the National Conference of Bar Examiners and continually monitoring public health information as well as state and local requirements and directives related to COVID-19 as it evaluates whether it is possible to administer the July 2020 bar examination as scheduled.

If the July 2020 examination cannot be administered as scheduled, the NCBLE intends to administer the North Carolina bar examination on September 9-10, 2020. 

Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners Announces Rescheduling of July 2020 Bar Exam and Supervised-Practice Order:

The chief judge in New York state said Tuesday that recent law graduates who had planned to take the bar exam this summer will be temporarily allowed to practice law under the supervision of a qualified attorney until testing delays and capacity constraints are resolved.

The Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners has announced that, with the approval of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, it has rescheduled the July 2020 bar exam to September 9 and 10, 2020, in light of the health and safety issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board recognizes that the viability of those dates depends on factors that cannot now fully be assessed, and it will continue to work with those studying COVID-19 and proper safety measures.

At the same time, the Board announced that the Court has approved a limited license that will allow qualifying applicants to practice under the supervision of experienced lawyers. The requirements and scope of the supervised-practice program are detailed in an order the Court has entered on April 27, 2020.

TaxProf Blog coverage of the July 2020 bar exam:

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

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2020/04/july-bar-exam-update-new-mexico-new-york-north-carolina-pennsylvania.html

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