Paul L. Caron
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Wednesday, July 24, 2024

2nd Circuit Rejects Harvard Grad's Lawsuit Claiming NY Bar's Denial Of Disability Accommodation Derailed Her BigLaw Career

Law360, 2nd Circ. Upholds Ax Of Ex-Ropes & Gray Clerk's Bar Exam Suit:

A former Ropes & Gray attorney who was fired after twice failing the New York bar exam can't sue the state agency that administers the test for failing to accommodate her disabilities, the Second Circuit ruled Friday, finding the agency is protected by sovereign immunity.

In a 66-page unanimous opinion, a two-judge panel said U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Dearie got it right when he dismissed the lawsuit back in 2022 after finding the New York State Board of Law Examiners is immune because it's an arm of the Empire State. U.S. Circuit Judge Rosemary S. Pooler was originally on the panel, but she died last August.

The suit was brought by an anonymous plaintiff identified only as "T.W." in court documents. ...

T.W. sued the board in June 2016, claiming she failed the bar exam twice after the board refused to accommodate her disabilities. She eventually passed on her third attempt, but not before Ropes & Gray terminated her as a law clerk in its transactional practice. She has been admitted since October 2015, according to the state.

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https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2024/07/2d-circuit-rejects-harvard-grad-lawsuit-ny-bar-denial-of-disability-accommodation-derailed-her-biglaw-career.html

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