[WSBARP] Supreme Court Grants Diploma privilege to LLTs and ABA accredited law school grads

[Kaitlyn Jackson]

Thanks, Michael.

It also looks like Dean Clark set the stage to appeal to the Court to consider doing away with the bar exam altogether. 

Something to ruminate on, for sure.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 19, 2020, at 7:44 PM, msafren at jennylinglaw.com wrote:
> 
> 
> Hello Fellow Listservs and RPPT section members:
>  
> Below please find an important message from Carla Higginson, WSBA Governor for District 2.
>  
> “Colleagues,
>  
> As you may recall, I am on the Board of Governors.  I am writing with regard to the Court’s recent decision to allow law school graduates to skip the bar exam this year.  Here is some background. The Board of Governors was approached at our April meeting by law students asking that graduates be allowed to practice without taking the bar exam due to the COVID-19 situation.  The Board voted 12 to 1 not to do so and urged the Court to require that the exam be held.  The exam was scheduled to be held in several locations rather than one, and in both July and September, to minimize travel and associated virus risks by insuring that there was plenty of room in the exam rooms to follow social distancing requirements.   The Board felt that requiring applicants to take and pass the bar exam was important to protect the public and ensure qualified and competent attorneys.  The Court initially accepted this recommendation, but has now reversed itself, apparently in response to a letter from the Seattle University law school dean asking that their graduates be allowed to practice law without taking the bar exam this year.  This letter (copy attached) was sent directly to the Court and I did not know the request had been made until after the Court issued its decision (copy attached), so there was no opportunity to alert members to the request or obtain member comment. 
>  
> The Court’s decision allows candidates who have previously failed a bar exam or LLLT exam to automatically be granted diploma privileges to practice law as an attorney or LLLT.  However, people who have completed the law clerk (APR 6) program and are registered for the bar exam must still take it, and apparently, so do limited practice officer candidates. 
>  
> The pass rate statistics are as follows:
>  
> For attorney applicants, the Winter 2020 bar exam resulted in approximately 49 percent passage rate, so slightly more than half of all attorney applicants failed.  
>  
> For LLLT applicants, the Winter 2020 exam was a 40% pass rate (4 passed out of 10).  The Summer 2019 exam was a 25% pass rate (1 passed out of 4).  Over the last four LLLT exams, a total of 8 out of 24 passed. 
>  
> The Board of Governors is meeting on June 26th in virtual session and the Court’s decision to grant diploma privileges is on the agenda.  It will probably occur about 4 pm.  Unfortunately, there will not be more than about 45 minutes or so to discuss this very important topic, but I invite you to send letters to the Court:  supreme at courts.wa.gov with a copy to me, and I will make sure that your comments are provided to the entire Board.  If you wish to call in to the meeting, the number is  1-888-788-0099 or 1-877-853-5247 and the meeting ID is:  956 2364 5735. 
>  
> Regards,
> Carla J. Higginson
> WSBA Governor, District 2”
>  
>  
> Warmest regards,
> 
> Michael S. Safren, Esq. 
> Attorney at Law 
> 
> 14900 Interurban Ave. S., Ste. 280 | Seattle, WA 98168 
> 11900 NE 1st St., Bldg. G - Ste. 300 |  Bellevue, WA 98005 
> P: (206) 859-5098 | E: msafren at jennylinglaw.com
> www.jennylinglaw.com | facebook.com/jennylinglaw/
>  
> 
> This communication, including attachments, may contain information that is confidential and protected by the attorney/client or other privileges. It constitutes non-public information intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s). If the reader or recipient of this communication is not the intended recipient, an employee or agent of the intended recipient who is responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, or you believe that you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and promptly delete this e-mail, including attachments without reading or saving them in any manner. The unauthorized use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this e-mail, including attachments, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Receipt by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is not a waiver of any attorney/client or other privilege.
>  
> <Order Granting Diploma Privilege (004) (002).pdf>
> <Letter to WA Supreme Court 6-10-20.pdf>
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