Louisiana Bar Exam
Encyclopedia
The Louisiana Bar Exam is a three day long examination
used to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law
in the state of Louisiana
. The Louisiana exam holds the distinction of being the longest bar exam in the United States, consisting of 21 and a half hours of examination on nine topic areas. In order to sit for the exam an applicant must have graduated from an ABA accredited law school and be deemed of good moral character
.
and Baton Rouge
areas.
, Torts, and Business Entities. Friday's session covers Constitutional Law
; Criminal Law
, Criminal Procedure
, and Evidence
; and Federal Jurisdiction
and Procedure. The first five sections are referred to informally as "Code Sections" (since they test law that is supposed to be specific to the Louisiana Civil Code), and the last four are referred to as "non-Code Sections." This distinction is important for determining if someone has passed the bar exam (see below on passing.) The exam is almost entirely subjective essay questions, with some objective true/false or short-answer questions occasionally thrown in, depending on the specific examiner for that subject area; however, the exam is either entirely hand written or typed on a computer. Louisiana does not use the Multistate Bar Examination or any sort of performance test.
"Passing" the Louisiana bar exam is a bit different from most other jurisdictions, as there is no final "score." Instead, a bar applicant must pass seven of the nine sections in order to pass the exam. However, it cannot be any seven of the nine sections, the examinee must also pass four of five "code sections" (as described above) in order to pass outright. If an applicant does not meet that requirement, but passes any five sections is considered to have "conditioned" the exam, and only has to retake the areas he or she failed. An applicant is only given two more tries to pass the failed portions before he or she is required to retake the entire exam. Passing less than five sections is considered failing, and the entire exam must be retaken. There is no limit on the number of times one can take the Louisiana bar. Results of each examination are mailed to each applicant as well as posted on the front doors of the Louisiana State Supreme Court
building and on the Supreme Court's website. Passing applicants are listed by full name, with conditional or failed applicants listed by fictitious name. The fictitious names are chosen by all applicants prior to taking the bar, and can get quite creative. Applicants who conditioned or failed the exam have the opportunity to review the sections they failed and compare them to other "model" passing answers from that administration. After the opportunity to review failed exams is over, all answers are destroyed. Applicants can only appeal mathematical errors in adding up the points for each exam, no substantive appeals are available.
impacted a small number of the July 2005 applicants whose answers were destroyed when graders' offices and homes were flooded. Most applicants were not directly affected, as they had already met the minimum requirements for passing without relying on the answers that were destroyed. For the few whose passing was dependent on the destroyed exam answers (Code I), the Louisiana Supreme Court allowed them to retake the missing section of the exam; however, the re-test consisted of different questions than the original exam.
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...
used to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in the state of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The Louisiana exam holds the distinction of being the longest bar exam in the United States, consisting of 21 and a half hours of examination on nine topic areas. In order to sit for the exam an applicant must have graduated from an ABA accredited law school and be deemed of good moral character
Good moral character
Good moral character is a defined legal concept in United States law that details requirements for consideration for certain benefits or positions. The term is chiefly used by the federal government in immigration law, but it can also be a requirement for a particular position of employment or...
.
Exam sittings
Testing is done on the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the designated exam week, with nothing on Tuesday and Thursday; it is the only bar examination in the United States not administered on consecutive days. The exam is offered twice a year, in February and July; with the July examination offered in both the New OrleansNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
areas.
Exam topics
Topic areas tested on Monday include Code I, II, and III (general Louisiana Civil Code topics). Wednesday's session covers Louisiana Code of Civil ProcedureCivil procedure
Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits...
, Torts, and Business Entities. Friday's session covers Constitutional Law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
; Criminal Law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
, Criminal Procedure
Criminal procedure
Criminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated criminal law.-Basic rights:Currently, in many countries with a democratic system and the rule of law, criminal procedure puts the burden of proof on the prosecution – that is, it is up to the...
, and Evidence
Evidence (law)
The law of evidence encompasses the rules and legal principles that govern the proof of facts in a legal proceeding. These rules determine what evidence can be considered by the trier of fact in reaching its decision and, sometimes, the weight that may be given to that evidence...
; and Federal Jurisdiction
Federal jurisdiction
The United States of America being a federal country is made up of many States and a central government. This central government may be known as the Union, the United States, or the Federal government...
and Procedure. The first five sections are referred to informally as "Code Sections" (since they test law that is supposed to be specific to the Louisiana Civil Code), and the last four are referred to as "non-Code Sections." This distinction is important for determining if someone has passed the bar exam (see below on passing.) The exam is almost entirely subjective essay questions, with some objective true/false or short-answer questions occasionally thrown in, depending on the specific examiner for that subject area; however, the exam is either entirely hand written or typed on a computer. Louisiana does not use the Multistate Bar Examination or any sort of performance test.
Grading and results
Each of the nine sections has one examiner, who writes both the exam question and model answer, and a certain number of graders who grade the actual answers to the exams. Graders are usually practicing attorneys who are awarded CLE credit for their time. Each individual exam subject is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with 70 being a passing score. Once a grader determines that a particular applicant has passed a section, his or her decision is final and not reviewable. If a grader determines that an applicant has failed a particular section, then the failed exam is reviewed and re-scored by the examiner for that section. The examiner's decision is final."Passing" the Louisiana bar exam is a bit different from most other jurisdictions, as there is no final "score." Instead, a bar applicant must pass seven of the nine sections in order to pass the exam. However, it cannot be any seven of the nine sections, the examinee must also pass four of five "code sections" (as described above) in order to pass outright. If an applicant does not meet that requirement, but passes any five sections is considered to have "conditioned" the exam, and only has to retake the areas he or she failed. An applicant is only given two more tries to pass the failed portions before he or she is required to retake the entire exam. Passing less than five sections is considered failing, and the entire exam must be retaken. There is no limit on the number of times one can take the Louisiana bar. Results of each examination are mailed to each applicant as well as posted on the front doors of the Louisiana State Supreme Court
Louisiana Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Louisiana is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans....
building and on the Supreme Court's website. Passing applicants are listed by full name, with conditional or failed applicants listed by fictitious name. The fictitious names are chosen by all applicants prior to taking the bar, and can get quite creative. Applicants who conditioned or failed the exam have the opportunity to review the sections they failed and compare them to other "model" passing answers from that administration. After the opportunity to review failed exams is over, all answers are destroyed. Applicants can only appeal mathematical errors in adding up the points for each exam, no substantive appeals are available.
Effects of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
impacted a small number of the July 2005 applicants whose answers were destroyed when graders' offices and homes were flooded. Most applicants were not directly affected, as they had already met the minimum requirements for passing without relying on the answers that were destroyed. For the few whose passing was dependent on the destroyed exam answers (Code I), the Louisiana Supreme Court allowed them to retake the missing section of the exam; however, the re-test consisted of different questions than the original exam.