Page 10 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2022

FEATURE | THE WORK HAS BEGUN
bar examiners measure minimum com- petence to practice law. Delaware uses all the NCBE examination except the essay portion. Delaware will benefit from the NCBE’s effort to modernize the bar exam and will study closely its recommendations. We compete for le- gal talent with the major metropolitan areas and large out-of-state law firms. According to the diversity project re- port, the combination of the highest cut score in the country, more testing topics to study, the single annual bar exam and additional observation re- quirements is perceived as a barrier to entry for attorneys interested in prac- ticing law in Delaware. To make our bar more attractive to all applicants, the board is studying the cut score, of- fering the exam twice a year, reducing the number of topics on the exam, and relying on the NCBE to produce bar exam questions and answers. We for- get sometimes that, unlike other states, Delaware has a volunteer board made up of busy attorneys.
College and Law School
Delaware has one of the country’s most prestigious HBCUs — Delaware State University. The University of Dela- ware has a total enrollment of almost 24,000 students. We are fortunate to have excellent community colleges and technical schools. The project report recommended establishing “pipelines” from these institutions into law schools. The diversity report also proposed that the Supreme Court consider a Delaware Scholars Program, modeled after the suc- cessful Daniel Webster Scholars Honors Program in New Hampshire. Gradu- ates of the University of New Hamp- shire Franklin Pierce School of Law, who complete a rigorous and skills-based cur- riculum are admitted to the bar without taking the bar exam. The same rigorous program could be replicated in Delaware and produce new lawyers with practical experience to hit the ground running.
8 DELAWARE LAWYER SUMMER 2022