The July 2020 bar exam was held with many safety measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
Successful State Bar Exam Held Amid Pandemic :
Health and safety remained top priority
By Kylie Blanchard , Clearwater Communications
As the COVID-19 pandemic became a reality in the U . S . and the state of North Dakota in March , the State Board of Law Examiners ( BLE ) began discussing its impact on the state ’ s summer bar examination . “ From the beginning , the board was committed to holding the July 2020 bar examination if possible ,” says Petra Mandigo Hulm , clerk of the North Dakota Supreme Court . “ Paramount to the board ’ s decision and planning was the health and safety of the examinees , proctors , and staff .”
Facing the Challenge
Mandigo Hulm says the fluid environment created by COVID-19 required flexibility on the part of both the BLE and bar admission applicants . “ The BLE team continuously assessed public health conditions and gave examinees as much notice as is possible of any changes ,” she notes .
The first challenge faced was the limitation on gatherings implemented after the initial shutdown . “ The BLE team began looking for alternative venues immediately ,” says Mandigo Hulm . “ A number of backup locations were secured so examinees could be spread out if necessary .”
The BLE established a limit of 85 participants at the July exam and , with the state ’ s recommended increase in the number of individuals at a gathering , the BLE was safely able to secure the use of the Bismarck Events Center and the education rooms of the Supreme Court to administer the exam .
The other major challenge faced by the BLE was safely giving the examination and complying with all local and state health regulations , says Mandigo Hulm . “ The BLE team identified early that securing personal protective equipment was a priority ,” she notes , adding between April and July , a constant effort was made to find and secure these items . “ The BLE team also spent uncountable hours mapping out the exam locations to control the flow of people . The goal was to keep everyone six feet apart if at all possible . Maps of the venues were used , and mental walk throughs were done to examine every part of the exam from check-in to bathroom use .”
The Decision to Move Forward
While many other states across the nation began cancelling upcoming bar exams , the BLE decided to move forward with its scheduled July exam . “ North Dakota is a small state , so we did not face the same challenges that large states , California and New York for example , faced ,” says Mandigo Hulm . “ We usually test less than 100 people in July verses the thousands that those states test .”
“ It ’ s always important for us to have a bar exam ,” adds Jane Dynes , president of the BLE . “ With a profession like ours , where we need to make sure there are qualified attorneys to serve the public , it was important to move forward .”
Jane Dynes , president of the State Board of Law Examiners .
Dynes notes students who were planning to take the bar exam in July were depending on this time frame to secure jobs and move forward after years of schooling and hard work .
Mandigo Hulm says there was also discussion to move the exam date to the fall , but the BLE concluded the virus threat was , at that time , manageable . “ We did not know what the fall would bring and by then , it may have been unsafe to hold the examination .”
“ We worked with the North Dakota Department of Health to discuss our plan ,” she continues . “ The BLE was confident , based on the planning and advice , that North Dakota could safely give an examination .”
Holding the Bar Exam
Mandigo Hulm says in preparation for the exam , the director of admissions and a part-time employee started working from home in late March . “ This was done to protect them , limit their exposure , and hopefully not run into a staffing issue at the examination ,” she notes . “ As it was , shortly before the exam , I went into self-isolation due to close contact and we retained the prior clerk of court to cover for me .”
The day of the exam , Mandigo Hulm notes , events were tightly controlled . Examinees signed a code of conduct prior to the examination and they were also provided with a copy of the testing conditions . “ The code of conduct clarified for each applicant what was expected of them to ensure everyone ’ s health ,” she says .
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