Court of Appeals offers alternatives to law students whose bar exams were postponed due to the pandemic

Law students who were preparing to take the bar exam this year now have the option of taking the exam virtually in October, or delaying the test until next year if they work under a supervising attorney until then, the Maryland Court of Appeals announced in new orders Friday.

The two orders issued Friday attempt to accommodate law students who were expected to take the in-person exam in July that was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Law students can now opt to remotely take the bar exam on October 5 and 6, or they can apply for “Temporary Supervised Practice” authorization, which requires them to be supervised by a practicing attorney with at least five years experience. If they take that route, the applicant must take the bar exam by February 2022, the orders said.

“[T]he Court believes that, for those applicants who remain uncomfortable with taking the October 2020 remote bar examination during the current pandemic, it is also in the interest of justice to offer an option to apply for a temporary special authorization for supervised practice of law in Maryland, in lieu of taking the October 2020 remote bar examination,” the court wrote.