Diploma privilege is a hot topic among our nation’s legal communities.
In the midst of the pandemic, some states have permitted recent law school graduates (“graduates”) to practice with a temporary license without having passed a bar exam. Other states maintain the bar exam requirement, while others have authorized law graduates to work under supervision.
The District of Columbia, one of our country’s most prestigious legal markets, recently adopted “diploma privilege.” The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (“the Court”) granted diploma privilege, in a 4-3 decision, subject to graduates meeting certain requirements. Moreover, the Court noted that the “diploma privilege” ruling will only apply to the current circumstances. The Court expressed concern about an online bar exam as there is skepticism about the software not working as intended.
By granting diploma privilege, D.C. joins a small number of jurisdictions: Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Louisiana.
Read the order here. Read other comments here.
