NYS Court of Appeals: Update on Academic & Bar Admission Dispensations from the Court of Appeals

On April 21, the Court considered and approved a number of additional dispensations related to law school instructional requirements and the bar admissions process, in sum:  (1) a programmatic waiver of the full-time pro bono work requirement and the corresponding academic component of the Pro Bono Scholars Program for those enrollees expected to graduate in Spring 2020; (2) a temporary waiver of several additional bar admission requirements for Spring 2020 graduates, including the Pro Bono Requirement for Bar Admission and the Skills Competency Requirement for Admission — while applicants must still successfully complete the New York Law Course (NYLC) and the New York Law Examination (NYLE), the requirement that applicants complete the NYLC and pass the NYLE no earlier than one year before sitting for the Uniform Bar Examination will be temporarily waived for any applicant who fulfilled the NYLC and NYLE requirements after July 2019 and who first sits for the Uniform Bar Examination no later than 2021; and (3) a relaxation of specified application guidelines, including certain notarization requirements, original document requirements, and timing requirements. For full details, read the Order here.