A divided Louisiana Supreme Court this week said it will allow “qualified” candidates for admission to the Louisiana State Bar to practice law without having to take the traditional bar exam.
The announcement comes after the court and its Committee on Bar Admissions moved to cancel the in-person and online bar examinations scheduled for Monday due to health concerns arising from a spike in COVID-19 cases in the state. The court had scheduled in-person exams in four cities, as well as an online alternative, for law school graduates.
“This COVID-19 crisis is unprecedented, and it calls for unprecedented and bold action, including implementation of today’s order granting one-time emergency admission to the bar with additional requirements,” Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson said in a statement emailed to the Louisiana Record.
The qualified candidates who no longer need to take the bar exam will also be required to finish 25 hours of continuing legal education and a mentoring program sponsored by the bar association by Dec. 31 of next year, according to the state Supreme Court.
To be considered a qualified candidate, applicants are required to have completed registration for the 2020 Louisiana bar exam and to have graduated from an accredited law school in December 2019 or thereafter. Qualified candidates must not have taken any bar exam within the United States or its territories, according to the court’s order.
Applicants who do not meet these guidelines can opt to take the bar exam in an online format on Aug. 24 or Oct. 10, according to the order issued Wednesday.
The high court noted that the requirement for passing the written exam was also waived for certain applicants in June 1953 during the Korean War.
Not all of the Supreme Court justices agreed with the decision, however. Three of the justices dissented.
“Bar exam testing is sacrosanct and should be adhered to in order to ensure competency in the practice of law and for the protection of the public in general,” Justice James Genovese said in his dissent. “(There is) ... available competent online/remote testing presently being used by several other states which, at the very least, should be required before giving out law licenses under the guise of a deemed emergency.”
But the president of the Louisiana State Bar Association supported the high court’s order.
“I am pleased that the Louisiana Supreme Court has resolved the issue regarding qualified 2020 bar applicants with a decision which balances the health and safety of bar applicants while mandating additional educational and mentoring requirements to preserve the integrity of the profession,” Alainna Mire said in a prepared statement.