Exams Students Graduation COVID-19
Finals Week: COVID-19’s 2020 Edition
UPDATE: MAY 19, 2020
Congratulations to every law students who completed their finals this week. It marks the conclusion of a semester impacted by COVID-19 and will be remembered for decades.
At midnight, our two-week final exam period ended, marking the conclusion of a most remarkable semester @StJohnsLaw. Congratulations to all—especially our graduates. I know this is not how you expected to finish law school, but you should be very proud of what you’ve accomplished
— Mike Simons (@DeanMikeSimons) May 19, 2020
Law professors have been busy this semester. The coronavirus pandemic has forced them to get creative with final exams, shifting all exams online, moving from closed-book to open books, etc. And the shift to either optional or mandatory pass/fail grading made by the majority of law schools this semester has reduced much of the pressure and anxiety students feel during finals, professors say.
“Finals week was very easy, and that’s coming from a premed student. A class made the final optional saying that if we were happy with our grade, no need to take the final,” said Niketna Vivek, a University of Colorado student, A couple of other teachers made group exams. Some teachers of mine just kept the same review, format, and all; they didn’t make it harder, so with our resources, we were fine.”
So what’s on the agenda for students now that finals are over?
The Bar Exam is coming for many law school graduates: it has been rescheduled to September 9-10 for New York and to various dates for other jurisdictions.
Some law schools have already started their preparation workshops for students and Bar Prep courses are to run as usual.
And so it begins. With final exams concluding less than 12 hours ago, our students have already turned their attention to preparing for the bar exam, as @StJohnsLaw's bar-prep maven extraordinaire, Prof. Bob Ruescher, began his summer workshops this morning #TrustTheProcess a. pic.twitter.com/9b1CYlKPwt
— Mike Simons (@DeanMikeSimons) May 19, 2020
The International Lawyer has recently updated its Bar Exam materials designed for law students. We received news from students who passed the February Bar Exam and could not be any prouder to help you during your preparation. Our goal from day one has been to assist students in becoming attorneys.
The New York Bar Exam is in
Exams Students Graduation COVID-19
New York’s chief judge has approved a program that will temporarily allow qualified law graduates to engage in the limited practice of law before they pass the bar exam, in part a response to concerns raised by students over the state’s delay of the test due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Reuters reported that under the program, qualified graduates would have to be supervised by an attorney who has been admitted to practice law in New York for at least three years, the New York State Court System said in a statement on Tuesday. The program will be available to all first-time bar exam takers, “irrespective of their graduation year,” the statement said. They’ll have to pass their first bar exam no later than 2021.
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#3: Expanded Online Classes for Returning Students
We covered in our Guide the possibility that the fall semester will be operated online. While States are now reopening in the United States, they still have to adhere to social distancing rules and other health regulations. With that in mind, law schools have been looking for ways to welcome their students back in the fall that will ensure their security.
Students may not feel safe attending courses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that’s also true for professors, say law school deans, many of whom want in-person classes this fall but are making various plans they hope meet ABA accreditation standards.
Some deans predict law schools will have hybrid courses in the fall, with both in-person and remote class time. “We have to do what is best for the health of our students and faculty, and I am sure that in the pandemic, regulatory bodies will be reasonable about this.” To be continued.
Whether you are graduating from law school or not, congratulations in finishing your exams: don’t let the coronavirus take this great achievement from you!
Exams Students Graduation COVID-19
