Hats Off to the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee

The University of Connecticut School of Law has an interesting program for graduates of law schools in other countries. In this program, law graduates come here and study at UConn Law, generally for one year, earning any one of four LLM degrees, with concentrations in U.S. legal studies, insurance law, energy and environmental law or human rights and social justice. They can also earn certificates in various legal subjects. They, usually numbering between 20 and 30 students per year, are an interesting group of people, enriching life and studies on the UConn campus.

Until now, graduates of the program were eligible to take the bar exam in New York and Massachusetts, but not in Connecticut. On Oct. 24 that will change. The Bar Examining Committee recently released new regulations, Articles II-2 and II-3, outlining how graduates of programs such as UConn’s will be allowed to take the Connecticut bar exam. It is a good change, coming at a good time. It made little sense that students who studied here had to go to a neighboring state to take the bar exam, and even if they passed that exam, were not eligible to practice in Connecticut. The new regulations are carefully constructed and adequately protective of the standards of the profession in Connecticut. They are a welcome change.