New York Law Deans to Push for Diploma Privilege Following COVID-19-Related Bar Exam Cancelation

Every single dean from every law school in New York teamed up to form a letter to send to the New York Court of Appeals on July 17, 2020, one day after the Court of Appeals canceled the in-person bar exam for Sept. 9 and 10.

“The State of New York currently has no clear plan to facilitate the admission to the bar of thousands of our recent graduates,” the deans in the letter wrote. “These graduates now are in a state of limbo, with a profound level of uncertainty and anxiety that surrounds their futures and economic stability as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.”

The deans soon saw support from lawmakers in the state. Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon is to propose a revised version of an early bill to introduce diploma privilege in the state. Her bill would require that law graduate students would have to complete 100 hours of work supervised by an attorney to be admitted into the bar. It would remain in effect until the COVID-19 pandemic settled.

New York Law students banned together to form advocacy groups lobbying for diploma privilege. On July 13, a student advocacy group called “United for Diploma Privilege New York” sent a letter to the New York Court of Appeals requesting a hearing to state their case. The letter had over 1,500 signatures.

The court insisted on an abbreviated online version of the bar exam.