Letter from the Chair

This article originally appeared in The Bar Examiner print edition, Winter 2024-2025 (Vol. 93, No. 4), pp. 1-2.

Portrait Photo of Darin Scheer By Darin B. Scheer

Greetings, friends and colleagues in the bar admissions community. I’m writing to you after a productive trip to Washington DC, where eight of NCBE’s policy committees met over a two-day period. This is the third year NCBE has convened multiple committees over a single long weekend, and I continue to be amazed by how much work gets done in such a short time. As they do every year, these meetings reminded me how important volunteer committee members are to NCBE’s mission and how fortunate we are to have their thoughtful input and hard work.

For those not familiar with NCBE’s committee structure, it is a fundamental part of the organization. On top of more than 150 employees across 20 states, NCBE has 10 policy committees made up of volunteers from across the United States. In addition to these 10 policy committees, NCBE also has several other committees, including an Implementation Steering Committee, a Justices Advisory Group, a Jurisdiction Advisory Committee, and a committee to oversee the newly created Diane F. Bosse Award for Excellence and Service in Bar Admissions. NCBE policy committees are served by 90 volunteers, and the 12 NCBE Board of Trustees members are broadly represented on these and all other NCBE committees. Also serving on these other committees are former NCBE Board members, an ABA delegate, a delegate from the Conference of Chief Justices, and over a dozen members of the Jurisdiction Advisory Committee not on other policy committees. It is not an overstatement to say that we could not do what we do, much less do it so well, without these volunteers’ hard work.

In addition to the policy committees, NCBE currently has 15 drafting committees working on the current UBE and NextGen exams. 116 judges, law school deans, professors, and practitioners serve on these committees from across the nation. Their level of expertise and quality of work is truly impressive.

Topics covered ranged widely during the meetings in DC:

The Character and Fitness Investigations Committee continued its work on a detailed jurisdictional survey scheduled to roll out in 2025—the culmination of several years of hard work, and an effort that will benefit both NCBE and the jurisdictions.
The Communications and Outreach Committee conversed about the special role NCBE plays as a convenor of input and ideas from judges, academics, and practitioners from across the nation. It discussed how to best assimilate those many valuable perspectives and effectively communicate NCBE’s mission to the jurisdictions we serve and the broader public.
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee had a thoughtful discussion about what it means for a legal profession to be fully representative of our society as a whole—where all candidates with the competence and desire to become an attorney can do so—and what role NCBE might play in helping achieve that goal.
The Education Committee continued working on plans for the 2025 Annual Bar Admissions Conference in Seattle, Washington, and discussed a wide range of topics that may be of interest to the bar admissions community.
The MEE/MPT Committee continued its important work in evaluating grader feedback and providing feedback of their own to the MEE/MPT Drafting Committee, in addition to discussing the committee’s evolving role when the NextGen era dawns.
The MPRE Committee reviewed the test statistics of the MPRE exam—a test that continues to perform exceptionally well—and discussed the concept of rule of law as it relates to the training and testing of lawyers in professional responsibility.
The Technology Committee discussed the extensive technological work being done to prepare for computer-based delivery of the NextGen exam, as well as other ways NCBE might serve the jurisdictions via technology products and delivery platforms.
The UBE Committee discussed the current admissions environment in each respective jurisdiction, as well as the future of the UBE compact as more jurisdictions adopt the NextGen bar exam. NCBE staff also provided updates regarding the results of the NextGen prototype exam, the new exam’s proposed grading platform, and the concordance and national standard-setting work to come.

During my time in Washington DC I was fortunate to see many old friends and make some new ones as well. I was struck, yet again, by the passion, energy, thoughtfulness, and hard work that NCBE’s many volunteers contribute. Upon returning home, I received the welcome news that Virginia and South Dakota had both announced their decision to adopt the NextGen exam, and in January New York, Hawai’i, and Maine also announced their decisions to adopt it as well. This brings the current total to 32—more than half of the 56 US jurisdictions that rely on a bar exam for attorney licensing. I couldn’t be prouder to work with this organization and, alongside these volunteers, to serve applicants, the public, and the profession in such important ways. The growing adoption of the NextGen exam across the nation is a credit to, and an affirmation of, those collective efforts. As I told committee members during the weekend of meetings, no matter how fortunate they might feel to serve on an NCBE policy committee, it is not nearly as fortunate as NCBE feels to have them. Thanks to each of you in the bar admissions world for your hard work and dedication.

Kindest regards,

Signature of Darin Scheer