98-09 Amendment of SCR: BBE Records, Transfer of Multistate Bar Exam Scores-SCR 40.12, SCR 30.03, SCR 40.04(2)(b).

SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN

FILED

JUL 7, 1999

Marilyn L. Graves

Clerk of Supreme Court

Madison, WI

In the Matter of the Amendment of Supreme Court Rules: Board of Bar Examiners Records, Transfer of Multistate Bar Examination Scores –- SCR 40.12, (Proposed) SCR 30.03, (Proposed) SCR 40.04(2)(b)

ORDER

No. 98-09

The court held a public hearing May 24, 1999, on the petition of Steven Levine seeking the amendment of the Supreme Court Rules to repeal the provision, SCR 40.12, making application files of the bar admission applicant and all bar examination materials confidential, to create a rule making all records of the Board of Bar Examiners subject to the Wisconsin public records law, and to permit an applicant for bar admission on examination to use the score obtained on a multistate bar examination previously taken in another jurisdiction within five years of the application in place of repeating the multistate portion of the Wisconsin bar examination, provided the score on the previously taken examination was equal to or better than the minimum passing score in Wisconsin for the same year in which that examination was taken. The court has considered the presentations at that public hearing and the materials filed with the court in the matter.

At conference following the public hearing, the court determined that the interest in the information contained in the bar admission application records of the Board of Bar Examiners can be satisfied by having the Board provide a statistical information sheet to be submitted with but not be a part of the bar admission application. The information set forth on the statistical information sheet would be available for public inspection. Accordingly, the court directed the Board of Bar Examiners to provide the court a list of the information that would be solicited on the statistical information sheet.

IT IS ORDERED that the petition is denied.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that notice of the court’s decision in this matter be given by a single publication of a copy of this order in the official state newspaper and in an official publication of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Dated at Madison, Wisconsin, this 7th day of July, 1999.