[WSBAPT] Letter Re: Supreme Court Grants Diploma privilege to LLTs and ABA accredited law school grads, and No Bar Exam

Fri Jun 26 10:51:26 PDT 2020

Washington Supreme Court Justices:

I am in complete agreement with my fellow colleagues below that the recent decision to suddenly change all the APR rules in Washington to automatically admit to the practice of law all ABA graduate applicants and previous test takers who had failed a previous bar exam in Washington and who applied to take the Summer 2020 bar exam is a too broad and sweeping decision.  This decision belittles those prior attorneys who have studied, taken and passed the bar examination.  Our clients deserve to know they have a competent lawyer representing them who was able to pass their bar examination and the bar exam provides a needed competency check for that.  I concur that a more balanced approach as laid out by Mr. Ursich and others be implemented.

Dalynne Singleton
Gourley Law Group
Snohomish Escrow
The Exchange Connection
1002 10th Street / PO Box 1091
Snohomish, WA 98291
360.568.5065
360.568.8092  fax
dalynne at glgmail.com<mailto:dalynne at glgmail.com>
Website:  www.glglawgroup.com

As we face the challenges presented by COVID-19, we want to update you as to the steps we are taking at Gourley Law Group.  Our top priority is the health & safety of our employees, clients, colleagues, friends, & all of their families & communities. Therefore, I am working remotely.  We have limited staffing in the office to maintain critical functions. We are able to make & receive telephone calls, access files, emails & voicemails.  Attorney/client meetings will be handled by teleconference or virtually whenever possible.  Be assured that we will continue to advise & support our clients throughout this health emergency.

If you would like to set a telephone conference or in-person meeting, please email my paralegal theresa at glgmail.com<mailto:theresa at glgmail.com> or dara at glgmail.com<mailto:dara at glgmail.com>.

Please be advised, we are requiring all clients with scheduled appointments coming in, as well as our staff, to be prepared to wear a face mask or adequate covering during all in office interactions.

Thank you very much and stay safe!

LICENSED IN WASHINGTON AND OREGON
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From: wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbapt-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com> On Behalf Of Tom Westbrook
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2020 10:40 AM
To: supreme at courts.wa.gov
Cc: WSBA Real Property Listserv <wsbarp at lists.wsbarppt.com>; WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>
Subject: Re: [WSBAPT] [WSBARP] Letter Re: Supreme Court Grants Diploma privilege to LLTs and ABA accredited law school grads, and No Bar Exam

Dear Honorable Supreme Court Justices,

Like Mr. Ursich below, we all have our individual stories about law school, studying for and taking the bar exam and the great satisfaction of passing the exam to be sworn in as a young attorney back in 1973. Please do not demean all of us that have gone through this age old process successfully and are privileged to practice today serving clients across our State. It may not be the perfect process, but it is the one we have in place. COVID-19 has caused many to suffer in so many ways so very unfortunately, but it should not be the cause for failing to ensure the public some measure of performance they can rely upon in the already difficult process of choosing an attorney. We have all learned how to social distance, wear masks and work remotely. It should not be a great conundrum to develop a simple process in this day and age to administer the bar exam. And if the people sitting for the bar are not able to follow whatever safety measures and processes put in place to accommodate the testing, then they should not be admitted to the bar anyway.

Sincerely,

Tom

Thomas J. Westbrook
Attorney at Law

[cid:image004.jpg at 01D64BA7.BCE11EA0]

Rodgers Kee Card & Strophy, P.S.
324 West Bay Drive NW, Suite 201
Olympia, Washington  98502

Phone: 360-352-8311
Facsimile: 360-352-8501
Email: tjw at buddbaylaw.com<mailto:tjw at buddbaylaw.com>
Skype: thomas.westbrook
www.buddbaylaw.com<http://www.buddbaylaw.com/>

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From: wsbarp-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com<mailto:wsbarp-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com> <wsbarp-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com<mailto:wsbarp-bounces at lists.wsbarppt.com>> On Behalf Of Gregory L. Ursich
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2020 7:29 PM
To: supreme at courts.wa.gov<mailto:supreme at courts.wa.gov>
Cc: WSBA Real Property Listserv <wsbarp at lists.wsbarppt.com<mailto:wsbarp at lists.wsbarppt.com>>; ATTY <atty at insleebest.com<mailto:atty at insleebest.com>>; WSBA Probate & Trust Listserv <wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com<mailto:wsbapt at lists.wsbarppt.com>>
Subject: [WSBARP] Letter Re: Supreme Court Grants Diploma privilege to LLTs and ABA accredited law school grads, and No Bar Exam
Importance: High

Dear Honorable Supreme Court Justices:

I write to you now regarding the Emergency Order entered by your Court on June 12, 2020, that suddenly changes all the APR rules in Washington to automatically admit to the practice of law all ABA graduate applicants and previous test takers who had failed a previous bar exam in Washington and who applied to take the Summer 2020 bar exam, scheduled for July and September 2020.   This broad and sweeping decision to exempt all applicants for the summer 2020 bar exams to never have to take the bar in Washington is too broad.  First, bar applicants who previously failed the Washington bar, no matter how many times, are now automatically admitted if signed up for the Summer 2020 exams (July and September).  Second, the last bar exam pass rate was only 49%.  When I personally took the bar in 1989, the pass rate was only 62%.  I came from a middle class family and put myself through college and law school after losing my father at age 11.  My father was a retired Master Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy and my mother was a Registered Nurse.  I still remember how hard it was to concentrate for and study for the bar in my mother’s basement.  It is not an easy thing to do, but I was proud of my accomplishment to pass the exam and to be admitted to the Washington Bar at the young age of 24.  I certainly have not followed bar passage rates in Washington, but I think they have varied between about 45% to 75% over the last 30 years.  The exam is a competency measure to protect the public and to ensure a certain level of competency to practice law in Washington.  We are a profession with many technical rules and requirements and the public deserves the protection the bar exam provides.  Every day when we deal with researching the law, drafting briefs and motions, meeting with our clients to provide legal advice, and appearing in court we are tested with new experiences and fact patterns and we draw on our expertise in the law gained from attendance in law school, testing our competence on the bar exam, and experience gained during our practice.  The bar exam is an important component of that as ensures a minimum level of competency as a new lawyer to immediately  represent clients in court and to take the responsibility for our clients’ personal liberties, financial health, and family relationships.  The public deserves to know they have a competent lawyer representing them, and the bar exam provides a needed competency check for that.

This approach balances the effect of the Corona Virus Crisis on studying for and passing the bar exam during the crisis and allows for gainful employment in the interim.  This approach would also protect the public because those who ultimately have a problem passing the exam will not be admitted on a long term basis until they can show their basic competency to practice law.

I understand that this approach of temporary licensing is being used right now by the Washington State Boards that license dentists and pharmacists; similarly it should apply to lawyers.   I for one would not want to have a doctor, dentist or pharmacist take care of me in Washington without having to take their boards.  I feel that this is an important issue for our profession, and a more narrowly tailored approach to the current crisis is warranted to protect the public and to ensure competency in our learned profession.  Thanks for listening.   –Greg Ursich

[cid:image010.jpg at 01D64BA7.6EE80790]
Gregory L. Ursich
Shareholder
Skyline Tower, Suite 1500 | 10900 NE 4th Street | Bellevue, WA 98004
P: 425.450.4258 | F: 425.635.7720
vCard<http://www.insleebest.com/uploads/vcards/gursich.vcf> | website<http://www.insleebest.com/> | gursich at insleebest.com<mailto:gursich at insleebest.com>

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