New Rules For D.C. Bar Admission?

A rather interesting notice from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals

October 29, 2015

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is calling for public comments on proposed amendments to D.C. Court of Appeals Rule 46, which governs admission to the District of Columbia Bar.

The proposed revisions include:

Adopting the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) and establishing the District of Columbia as a UBE jurisdiction;

Permitting law students to take the bar exam during the last semester of law school with certification by the law school; and

Imposing a limit on the number of times an applicant may sit for the bar exam, with the exception of extraordinary circumstances.

Written comments are due by December 28. Comments must be submitted in 10 copies to the Clerk, D.C. Court of Appeals, 430 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

View the proposed amendments in full.

These are major changes. I wonder if the purpose of the”exam before graduation” proposal is intended to increase the number of test takers. (Mike Frisch)