On May 5, 2015, Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman announced that New York is adopting the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) effective with July 2016. Judge Lippman made the announcement during his annual Law Day address in the Court of Appeals Hall in Albany:
New York’s carefully considered decision to adopt the UBE is a huge step towards a national, uniform bar exam for the entire country. . . . A nationally administered UBE is not only desirable but necessary for the mobile, interconnected society in which we live.
We live in a world where it is common for lawyers to switch jobs multiple times throughout their careers and relocate to different states . . . . The UBE makes it easier to become licensed and employed in a new jurisdiction. And lawyers who can more easily become licensed in multiple states are a tremendous asset.
Read more:
- Notice to the Bar, Court of Appeals, May 5, 2015.
- New York Adopts the UBE, Above the Law.
- New York to Adopt a Uniform Bar Exam Used in 15 Other States, New York Times, May 6, 2015.
- New York State to Adopt Uniform Bar Exam, New York Law Journal, May 6, 2015.
- Lippman Ushers in New Era of Lawyer Licensing, Daily Record, May 5, 2015.
- Final Report of the Advisory Committee on the Uniform Bar Examination, Ensuring Standards and Increasing Opportunities for the Next Generation of New York Attorneys, Final Report to Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman and to the Court of Appeals, April 28, 2015.