This week, the NCBE announced that jurisdictions must make decisions about the 2020 bar by May 5th and that they would prepare a fall bar exam in case a July administration wasn't possible. Already, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, etc, have announced that their bar exam will be rescheduled to an unknown date in the fall, and more jurisdictions are likely to follow.

While we appreciate that the NCBE and all state bar administrations are facing an unprecedented crisis and are attempting to create a flexible solution for bar applicants, a fall bar exam is not an acceptable or equitable solution.

No one can be sure that it will be safe to conduct a bar exam in the fall. It is very likely that the virus will still be an ongoing threat. Until there is a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, we have no way to predict the future of infection rates. Members of the class of 2020 cannot wait indefinitely for the opportunity to become licensed attorneys.

Many of these students have lined up jobs that will begin before the administration of a fall bar, making full-time bar study impossible. Other graduates will be provisional employees until they have been admitted to the bar, and won't receive full pay until they are licensed attorneys.

Others are about to face real uncertainty in the job market with the possibility that their jobs at small and mid-sized firms or local governments will disappear in the coming recession, and students who are still looking for their first post-graduation job are facing a shrinking job market. Students whose jobs are insecure or who have not yet found employment will be further hindered in their job search because they are not admitted to the bar and cannot practice law.

A delayed bar exam with an uncertain date means that students will have to start paying their student loans before they even have the possibility of becoming a licensed attorney.

We are advocating instead for diploma-plus as an alternate route to licensure for the Class of 2020. Diploma plus privilege is explained more here: https://www.abajournal.com/files/barexamoptionsCOVID-19.pdf. In short, diploma-plus privilege would allow the Class of 2020 law school graduates to be barred without having taken the UBE portion of the bar. Graduates would still have to pass the MPRE, the Maryland state bar portion (an online exam), and Maryland's character and fitness requirements. Potentially, graduates could be required to complete CLE over the summer or work under a supervising attorney for a year. As stated above, there are many alternative suggestions in the ABA article linked. Under diploma-plus privilege, students who have graduated from an ABA accredited law school and have passed the MPRE and Maryland's character and fitness requirements will be permitted to practice law.

Diploma-plus licensure is a fairer and more equitable path forward for students graduating this year. Without it, students will be forced to wait indefinitely for a rescheduled exam and will not be able to practice in the careers for which we have studied over the past three or four years while our student loans continue to accrue interest and payments become due.

Please sign this petition if you would like to advocate for diploma-plus admission to the Maryland Bar and attach your name to the letter that will be submitted.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to:
University of Maryland Carey School of Law Class of 2020 at: Solclassof20@law.umaryland.edu