The in-person bar exam scheduled Sept. 9-10 is cancelled and instead being offered remotely in October.
Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced the change Wednesday in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The exam will be administered remotely by the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners on Oct. 5-6, as directed by a Supreme Court order.
“Like other court functions that have transitioned successfully to remote operations, a remote bar examination will maintain professional standards and public confidence at a time when health officials counsel against large, in-person events,” Rabner wrote on behalf of the Court.
Rabner
The September test was to be spread across multiple locations, but the uptick in COVID-19 nationwide sparks concern: Nearly 900 of the 2,000 law school graduates who have applied to take the exam are from out of state, and 150 are from states whose residents are subject to Gov. Phil Murphy’s two-week self-quarantine advisory.
“Although New Jersey has made significant inroads to combat the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 is gaining strength in many areas of the country and continues to be a serious threat to health and safety,” he wrote. “Under the circumstances, and guided by the science, the Supreme Court has concluded it is simply unsafe to gather 2,000 applicants, even across multiple coordinated locations, for an in-person bar examination.”
Other states also plan to administer the examination remotely in October, including Massachusetts, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Tennessee. To allow exam results to be accepted reciprocally, the Court will seek to enter into agreements with those jurisdictions.
Those who already applied to take the exam in September are automatically registered for the October remote exam. Candidates can also choose to defer to a future in-person exam.
Those who choose to defer would be permitted to temporarily practice law, without a license, under the supervision of attorneys in good standing.
