State bar will hold electronic exam in October, Rabner says

New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced the state’s September bar exams would be cancelled and replaced by online tests on Oct. 5 and 6.

“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 in an order penned on the court’s behalf.

2,000 prospective attorneys have signed up to take the New Jersey Bar, with roughly 900 of those applicants coming from other states. A smaller cadre of about 150 applied from states subject to a two-week voluntary quarantine order imposed by Gov. Phil Murphy.

“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. 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,” Rabner wrote.

The decision comes days after an anonymous group of law school graduates urged Rabner to award recent graduates with diploma privilege, which would allow them to practice law in the state without taking the bar exam.

Prospective lawyers who do not wish to take an electronic test can choose to take an in-person exam at a later date.

Those who do so will be allowed to practice law under the supervision of attorneys who have been licensed for at least three years and are in good standing.