No Early Bar Exam In D.C.

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has adopted revisions to its admissions rule but declined to bless a pre-graduation bar exam option.

From the web page of the Bar

Court of Appeals Adopts Amendments to Rule 46, With Exceptions

February 4, 2016

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has adopted proposed amendments, with two exceptions, to D.C. Court of Appeals Rule 46, which governs admission to the D.C. Bar. The proposed amendments take effect March 1.

The revised rule adopts the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) and establishes the District of Columbia as a UBE jurisdiction. It also imposes a limit on the number of times an applicant may sit for the bar exam, with the exception of extraordinary circumstances.

However, the proposed amendment permitting law students to take the bar exam during their third year of law school, with certification by the law school, is not adopted at this time. The Court has reopened the comment period for this issue. Written comments are due by March 31. Comments must be submitted in 10 copies to the Clerk, D.C. Court of Appeals, 430 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. All comments will be made available to the public.

Additionally, the proposal allowing graduates from law schools not accredited by the American Bar Association to fulfill their 26 hours of required study through “classroom” courses will be considered at a later date, at the recommendation of the D.C. Bar’s Global Legal Practice Task Force.

View the court order.

(Mike Frisch)