CHIEF Justice Miguel S. Demapan is seeking the Legislature’s approval in extending the bar examination.
Demapan, in a letter to Senate President Paul A. Manglona, R-Rota, and House Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider, R-Saipan, said the judiciary wants to amend the Rules of Admission of the Supreme Court by “giving attorney applicants a full day examination instead of a half day examination.”
Attorney applicants are those licensed to practice law in U.S. jurisdictions and have been in active practice for at least five years of the past 12 years.
Demapan said under Article 4, section 8 of the CNMI Constitution, their proposed amendment “shall become effective 60 days from its submission with the Legislature, unless disapproved by a majority of either House of the Legislature.”
Last March 19, the Supreme Court issued a notice of intent to amend the Rules of Admission on the testing requirements for attorney applicants.
The court wants to require the applicants to take the following additional tests: multi-state essay examination, multi-state performance test, commonwealth local essays and multi-state professional responsibility examination.
Except for the commonwealth local law portion, the examinations are developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. If the Legislature approves the amendment, the new testing requirement would take effect beginning with the July bar examinations.
Based on the court’s proposed amendments, the applicant would have to satisfy the CNMI Supreme Court that he is qualified to take the attorney’s examination.
Under the amendment, the applicant would be ordered to provide the court with a certificate of bar admission and good standing when filing as an attorney applicant. Whether the attorney applicant has satisfied the required number of years of active practice of law “shall be determined exclusively by the CNMI Supreme Court.”
The amendment further states that if the applicant has not taken and passed the multi-state professional responsibility examination within three years of taking the attorney bar examination, he will apply directly to the National Conference of Bar Examiners and pay the testing fee with a cashier’s check or money order.
Applicants must achieve a scaled score of at least 75.
