News & Events

This article originally appeared in The Bar Examiner print edition, Winter 2024-2025 (Vol. 93, No. 3), pp. 37-42.

Rule Changes

For jurisdiction bar admission rules, including the updates below as applicable, visit the Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements website at reports.ncbex.org/comp-guide/.

Alabama

The Alabama Supreme Court recently amended the Rules Governing Admission to the Alabama State Bar, Rule VI.(B). Under the old rule, the transferred UBE score and MPRE scores were valid for a period of no longer than 25 months after the date of the administration of the UBE. As of October 21, 2024, the scores are now valid for 36 months. For the full rule, visit admissions.alabar.org/rule-6b.

Alaska

The Alaska Supreme Court amended Alaska Bar Rules 2, 3, 43, 43.1, 43.3, 43.4, and 44 concerning admission on motion and practice waiver requirements. In addition to some minor changes, this order amended the Bar Rules to:

• eliminate the requirement of a written bar exam passage from admission on motion;
• reduce the years of practice required for admission on motion to 3 out of 5 years;
• eliminate reciprocity requirement and expand admission on motion to any state, territory, or the District of Columbia; and
• eliminate the failure of a bar exam as a reason to deny admission on motion or revoke a practice waiver.

The updates went into effect on November 18, 2024. The full text of the order can be found at courts.alaska.gov/sco/docs/sco2031leg.pdf.

Colorado

Under Rules 207–207.14, licensed legal paraprofessional (LLPs) can now provide legal services limited in scope to certain family law matters. For more on the program, including the application process, visit www.coloradolegalregulation.com/future-lawyers/llpexamination/. The most recent LLP exam in November 2024 had 35 examinees, with an 83% pass rate.

New York

Pursuant to Section 6000.4(c) of the Rules of the State Board of Law Examiners, effective December 1, 2024, applicants with four or more unsuccessful attempts on the New York bar examination may file an application for re-examination only for the February administration of the bar examination.

This new policy was necessary to address the increasing number of applicants for the July administration of the bar examination, which is impacting the board’s ability to procure a sufficient number of seats at its test sites. The new policy will permit the board to better manage its existing resources (i.e., test sites, equipment, proctors, etc.). The board also hopes that this policy will encourage repeater applicants to utilize the additional time between examination attempts to better prepare for future attempts at the bar examination.

Applicants with four or more unsuccessful attempts on the New York Bar Examination are not precluded from taking the bar examination in another UBE jurisdiction in July, and if they achieve a passing score, transferring that score to New York.

North Dakota

Effective December 1, 2024, the North Dakota Supreme Court amended Admission to Practice Rule 7 based on years of practice. The number of continuing legal education hours required for admission was reduced from 45 to 12 during the 36-month period immediately preceding the application for admission, one of which must be in ethics.

The Supreme Court also amended Admission to Practice Rule 7(B)(2) based on test score to amend the filing deadlines. Proof of a UBE or MBE score and a completed application must be received at the offices of the board within:

• Two years from the date of the examination in the jurisdiction where the examination was written, if the applicant has not been actively engaged in the practice of law,

or

• Five years from the date of licensure if the applicant has been actively engaged in the practice of law, to an extent deemed by the board to demonstrate competency, and
• The application must be accompanied by 12 hours of continuing legal education, one hour of which shall be in ethics, within the 36-month period immediately preceding the application for admission.

People

Florida

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has selected new officers. Timothy S. Danninger, of Jacksonville, is Board chair as of November 1, 2024. His appointment to the board began in November 2020. Cristina E. Groschel, of Margate, was elected vice chair of the board on October 17, 2024. She will become board chair on November 1, 2025.

The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has also welcomed several new members to replace those whose terms have expired. Nathan W. Hill, of Orlando, was appointed to replace Paul J. Schwiep. Miles A. McGrane III, of Fort Lauderdale, was appointed to replace Stanley H. Wakshlag. Carolyn Moore, of Cape Coral, succeeds Paula S. O’Neil. Amy E. Myers, of Panama City Beach, succeeds Mindy McNichols. Hill, McGrane, and Myers will serve through October 31, 2029; Moore will serve through October 31, 2027.

Idaho

Maureen Ryan Braley, former Associate Director of the Idaho State Bar, was promoted to Executive Director as of November 1, 2024. Replacing Braley is Abby Kostecka in the role of Admissions and MCLE Director for the Idaho State Bar. Kostecka is a former prosecuting attorney who previously served on Idaho’s Character and Fitness Committee.

Massachusetts

Effective September 26, 2024, Daniel Tighe was appointed to the Massachusetts Board Bar Examiners. Marie Buckley retired from the board on the same date.

Mississippi

Wendy Smith’s last day as Administrator of the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions was December 20, 2024.

Missouri

Stephanie Angerer left her position as General Counsel and Director of Investigations Missouri Board of Law Examiners as of December 19.

Nebraska

Tanya Hansen’s term on the Nebraska State Bar Commission ended on October 31, 2024. Her replacement, Rene Blauhorn, has been appointed to a term ending in October 2030.

North Dakota

Effective January 1, 2025, Jane L. Dynes left the North Dakota Board of Law Examiners after a 12-year term. Aubrey Fiebelkorn-Zuger took her place on the board.

Oklahoma

Starting January 1, 2025. Vice Chief Justice Dana Kuehn is the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiner’s new liaison justice.

Oregon

Sarra Yamin is the new Regulatory Counsel at the Oregon State Bar. She replaces Troy Wood, who joined NCBE as its new Jurisdiction Relations Manager in September 2024.

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners welcomed two new employees: Brittany Wagner as Testing and Accommodations Administrator and April Young as Character and Fitness Investigator. Wagner joined in May 2024, and Young joined in August 2024.

Texas

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht of the Supreme Court of Texas retired on December 31, 2024. He was elected to the court in 1988 and appointed chief justice in 2013. Hecht was reelected twice as chief justice. Jimmy Blacklock has been appointed as chief justice. Blacklock has served on the Supreme Court of Texas since January 2018.

Virginia

Stephen Quillen, former president of the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners, passed away on January 14, 2025. Quillen served on the board from 1983 until his retirement in 2019, including five years as board president from 2014 to 2019.

Washington

Washington Supreme Court Justice Debra L. Stephens has been elected to serve as the Court’s 59th chief justice.

Justice Stephens will succeed current Chief Justice Steven C. González in January 2024. Her term will run until the next election for chief justice in November 2028. Justice Stephens was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court in Jan-uary 2008, and subsequently elected to a six-year term in November 2008, then reelected in 2014 and 2020. She served as Chief Justice from 2019 to 2020, serving out the remainder of Justice Mary Fairhurst’s term when she retired from the Court.

NCBE News

Armando M. Menocal III, NCBE Board of Trustees chair from 1990 to 1991, passed away on October 24, 2024. Menocal served as chair of the California Committee of Bar Examiners and California Performance Test Drafting Team and served on the NCBE Board during the time NCBE was studying the development of the Multistate Performance Test prior to its 1997 launch.

Two of NCBE’s policy committees have had membership changes since announced in the Fall 2024 Bar Examiner: Maureen Ryan Braley (ID) is no longer on the Education Committee. Christopher Hawks (WY) has replaced Hon. Noma Gurich (OK) on the Multistate Bar Examination Committee.

Erratum

In the Fall 2024 issue of The Bar Examiner, the first name of one of the CLEO students interviewed for the issue’s From My Perspective article, Itati Serrano, was incorrectly spelled as Itali. To read the interviews, visit thebarexaminer.ncbex.org/article/fall-2024/from-my-perspective-interviews/.

Contact us to request a pdf file of the original article as it appeared in the print edition.