Leah Wilson, the California bar's executive director, has been noticeably missing from the agency's response to news that the essay topics for this week's bar exam were inadvertently disclosed to 16 law school deans. On Wednesday the bar confirmed why: Wilson's son is taking the exam that ends today.

“The executive director has been walled off from all decisions regarding the July 2019 bar exam and was not part of the decision-making process regarding release of the subject matter topics,” the bar said in a statement provided by spokeswoman Teresa Ruano.

Ruano said Wilson's son graduated from an out-of-state law school. All 16 deans who received advance notice of the exam's essay topics July 25 lead schools located in California. One of those deans notified the bar July 27 about the improper disclosure, according to bar officials.

Although bar leaders say they have no evidence that any information was leaked to registered test-takers, they decided to provide the topics to all 9,000 people registered to take the exam via email the night of July 27.

The news regarding Wilson's son is sure to fuel more speculation, much of it on social media, that the topics were deliberately provided to the deans. Bar leaders say that's not the case and blamed the disclosure on a bar staffer who inadvertently included the information in a memo inviting deans to observe a future grading session for the July exam. That invitation is routine after exams, although in the past it has not been sent until after the exam concludes, said Donna Hershkowitz, the bar's dean of programs.

The bar offered full refunds between July 27 and July 30 to any registered test-takers who wanted to withdraw. Approximately 550 people have qualified for the refunds so far, Ruano said, although it's unclear how many of those were responding to news of the disclosure or had already decided not to take the test. The no-show rate for this week's exam was roughly 8%, up slightly from the July 2018 absence rate of 6.6 percent, according to the bar.

In Wilson's absence, Hershkowitz and Jason Lee, the chair of the bar's board of trustees, have led the agency's public response. In a 90-second video posted on the bar's website, Lee offered “my sincerest and heartfelt apology” for the early release of the topics.

“The integrity of the bar exam is our top priority,” Lee said. “We are also committed to transparency. We have called for an independent inquiry into these events with a focus on ensuring this never happens again.”

The California Supreme Court, which oversees the bar, also issued a statement Monday saying that it will ensure “a thorough and independent investigation” is conducted.

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