The time is overdue for the New York State Bar to reform its archaic procedures for bar admission once a young lawyer has passed the bar exam. It is not unusual, especially in the Appellate Division, Second Department, for young lawyers to be admitted a full year after graduation from law school or later. With the new Uniform Bar Examination New York students are now at a distinct disadvantage because of the snail’s pace at which document processing, interviewing and swearing-in ceremonies take place. In this age where most young lawyers are carrying staggering student loans the sooner they become admitted to the bar the better. Earlier admission makes them more marketable when they enter the workforce, gives them immediate access to courtroom experience and puts them in a higher pay category which, in turn, enables them to begin to pay off their debts.
A review of contiguous state’s processing indicates New York is woefully behind in its procedures. A New York law student does not receive his document package until weeks after he or she takes the bar. Young lawyers then begin a mad scramble to obtain references and documents requested. A Notice of Certification is required to submit one’s application, which is not provided until scores are finally received. In most states, the documents are sent with the application or in the last year of law school. Thus, the student’s package is evaluated once he/she receives notice that they passed.
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