BP: So each state will still determine the
score that is deemed passing?
BA: Absolutely. The cutoff score is
decided by each state, and it is my
understanding that some of the states that
have joined the UBE have been changing
their passing scores as they see how it
plays out.
It really doesn’t matter anymore where you
physically take the exam?
BA: It won’t matter for the states that
participate, for a certain period of time.
The scores won’t be portable forever, but
they will be portable for several years. If
you take it right out of law school, it won’t
matter whether you took it in Arizona,
Washington, or Colorado—it will be
functionally equivalent and you can use it
in any of those states.
BP: So, instead of the four Vermont
drafted questions, you said it would
be replaced by six questions that will
be national. What about those two
performance questions? Will those go
away?
BA: No, those are part of the Uniform
Bar Exam.
BP: Good point you make. It won’t be
portable forever, but portable for a couple
of years. Let’s set this aside for a second
and talk about Vermont’s admission
requirements and some of the other
changes that our members may not know
about. What is the obligation of a new
lawyer coming into Vermont now? First
time, brand new, out of law school, no
other admissions?
BA: You have several other obligations
besides the bar exam. The one that most
people are familiar with is that you have to
do a three-month clerkship in the office of a
Vermont-licensed lawyer who is practicing
in Vermont.
BP: Ok. So, you have said what the
advantage of it is, to somebody sitting for
the exam, that the score becomes portable.
Interview with Bridget Asay
now there are fourteen, so for example if
you take the bar exam in New Hampshire
and you achieve a score that Washington
state considers passing, you can go to
Washington with that score.
BP: And that used to be six months?
BA: That used to be six months. Now it
is three months and it applies only to newly
BP: The same goes for the multistate
right now, that each state has a different
pass number?
BA: Yes, right.
www.vtbar.org
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