SBM Blog

Join the State Bar for a Town Hall Meeting

Join the leaders of the SBM 21st Century Practice Task Force from 1-4 p.m. on Friday January 29 to discuss the future of the legal profession at a town hall meeting.

The 21st Century Practice Task Force was created in March 2015 to make recommendations on how the State Bar can best serve the public and support lawyers' professional development in a rapidly changing legal marketplace. Since then, over 150 SBM members have developed more than 100 ideas to move Michigan forward toward the best possible legal future.

Now it's your turn!

The State Bar invites you to attend, in person or virtually, a town hall meeting to learn more about why the task force was formed, and offer your insights, ideas, and concerns. If you want to attend in person, make a reservation by e-mailing [email protected]. The State Bar is also arranging live-streaming and virtual participation. If you are interested in virtual participation, e-mail [email protected].

Check out Michigan's July 2014 Bar Exam Passage Rates by School

Download July 2014 Before Appeals (PDF)

Michigan Board of Law Examiners Posts Previous Bar Exam Statistics Online

Curious about Michigan's bar exam passing rates from previous exams?

The Michigan Board of Law Examiners has posted passage statistics from previous exams, dating from February of 2000 to February of 2014.

They have also posted questions and examiners' analyses from previous exams, dating from February of 2009 through February of 2014.

Stay tuned to SBM Blog - we will bring you the results from the July 2014 bar exam as soon as they are posted.

The Michigan Board of Law Examiners is the entity that oversees the Michigan Bar Exam. The Michigan Supreme Court oversees the BLE. The State Bar of Michigan and the Board of Law Examiners are separate entities.

Posted by Samantha Meinke

 

WMU Cooley Law School will close its Ann Arbor campus

Western Michigan University Cooley Law School has announced that it will close its Ann Arbor campus on Dec. 31, 2014.

Starting in January of 2015, students can continue their classes at any of the law school's any other campuses in Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids or Tampa Bay, Fla. In August, the law school told students that should the campus close, it would provide early registration at other campuses; a $1,500 cash stipend to help cover costs of attending another campus; a $3,500 stipend for a bar review course for graduates; specialized advising for registration, financial aid, housing and other issues; a possible adjustment to available financial aid and additional consideration to students with special circumstances.

The plan is subject to approval by the American Bar Association and the Higher Learning Commission.

Posted by Samantha Meinke

Magna Carta Exhibit Visits Michigan Law Library in October

The University of Michigan Law School will host an American Bar Association exhibit on the Magna Carta  8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from Oct. 1 through Oct. 23 at the Law Library, in the Smith Addition (Underground Law Library) at 801 Monroe St. in Ann Arbor.

The exhibit, "Magna Carta: Enduring Legacy 1215-2015," is open to the public and was created by the ABA and curated by the Library of Congress to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the document. It will feature spectacular images on free-standing banners that will tell the story of the Magna Carta and its catalyst role in promoting the rule of law.

Visit the ABA's website for more information on the exhibit.

Posted by Samantha Meinke

It's Official: Cooley is now Western Michigan University Cooley Law School

Thomas M. Cooley Law School announced this afternoon that the school is now officially Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. 

Cooley held a news conference this afternoon to launch its new visual identity and to announce a number of new initiatives, including that WMU will offer first year law classes at the Kalamazoo campus in the fall of 2015, and that both schools will develop a law minor and a 3 + 3 program that will allow students to earn a bachelor's degree and law degree in just six years.

For more information, visit the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School website.

Posted by Samantha Meinke

BLE Extends Deadline for ExamSoft Essay Uploads

The Board of Law Examiners is aware that some applicants are experiencing technical difficulties uploading their essay answers to ExamSoft. Accordingly, the Board has extended the deadline for uploading to 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday July 30th.

 

The Board will continue to monitor this situation very closely. Additional steps will be taken as necessary to ensure that all applicants have sufficient time to upload their answers after the technical issue is resolved.

Posted by Nancy Brown

Michigan Board of Law Examiners Announces Changes to the Bar Exam

The Michigan Board of Law Examiners announced that they have created a new and improved scoring system for the Michigan Bar Exam that they will begin to utilize while scoring the July 29 exam.

The BLE says they expect the new scoring system to more accurately measure test takers' competence by ensuring that essay test scores across administrations reflect the same skill level and reflect differences in the difficulty between the multiple choice and essay portions of the exam. The Michigan Bar Exam is administrated each February and July, and has two parts: a 200-question multiple choice multistate bar exam portion and a 15-question Michigan law-based essay portion.

The Michigan BLE is a separate entity from the State Bar of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan legislature and is overseen by the Michigan Supreme Court. Board members, including Gerald Marcinkoski, Hon. Christopher M. Murray, Eric J. Pelton, Hon. Joseph J. Farah and Hon. Donna Robinson Milhouse, are nominated by the Michigan Supreme Court and then appointed by Governor Rick Snyder to serve for five-year terms.

Contact the BLE for more information at (517) 373-4453 or [email protected].

Posted by Samantha Meinke

Florida hits snag with release of bar exam results

Above the Law's Elie Mystal shone a snarky spotlight on problems that arose in Florida, when results from the February 2014 bar exam results were released.

Apparently, the Florida Board of Bar Examiners inadvertently reposted the results of the July 2013 exam, and mistakenly labeled them as being results from the February 2014 exam. Meaning that everyone who failed the July 2013 bar exam believed that they had failed the 2014 exam as well.

Massive confusion and heartbreak ensued for a couple of hours until the mistake was caught and corrected.

Thoughts to all involved.

Posted by Samantha Meinke

What to do now that you've passed the bar exam

Congratulations again on passing the bar exam!

Here's what you need to do next:

All persons who are licensed to practice law in Michigan must be members of the State Bar of Michigan. In order to become a member of the State Bar, you must first take steps to become admitted to the State Bar. If you've recently passed the bar exam, the Board of Law Examiners has mailed you a certificate of qualification. A current, active member of the State Bar must file this certificate and a motion seeking your admission to the State Bar in the Supreme Court or a circuit court. You must also appear personally in open court to be administered the oath of office. View the rule describing the steps to follow in taking the oath of office as a lawyer. View a schedule of swearing-in ceremonies around Michigan.

After being sworn in to one of the circuit courts or the Supreme Court of Michigan, you will need to complete a membership application to join the State Bar of Michigan and pay your membership dues.

To complete the State Bar of Michigan new member application online and pay your member dues with a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card, please visit the Bar's Member Area and create an account as a "Prospective New Member & Non-Member" and continue with the membership application if you have already been sworn in. Do not create an account online until you have been sworn in. If you wish to complete the paper application and pay your member dues with a check, download new member application form.

After completing the new member application form and payment of the required dues, a true or certified copy of the Order of Admission certified by the County Clerk will need to be provided to the State Bar of Michigan. Some courts provide the Order of Admission directly to the State Bar. If you wish, you may mail your true or certified copy of the Order of Admission signed by the County Clerk to the State Bar of Michigan, Attention Finance, 306 Townsend St., Lansing, MI 48933.

As soon as the State Bar of Michigan has issued you a P number, you will be a member in good standing and eligible to practice law.

Posted by Samantha Meinke