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Washington Bar Exam Chaos Leaves Future Legal Careers In Limbo

A canceled July exam means delayed licenses, postponed careers, and fewer lawyers available to serve the public.

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Who knows when the September retake scores will release. A delay in licensing all the incoming public defense and other public interest attorneys will only serve to harm the citizens of Washington.

Tyson Weeks, a recent graduate from Notre Dame Law School, in comments given to Bloomberg Law, concerning what he plans to do in the wake of Washington’s canceling the administration of the July bar exam. Weeks was supposed to begin work as a Washington public defender in October, the week after the July results were supposed to be released. Thanks to the July exam’s cancelation, he’ll remain in North Carolina, where he’ll study and do construction work with his father.


Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.