State of Mississippi Judiciary

February Mississippi Bar exam results released

May 26, 2004

More than half of the people who took the Mississippi Bar Examination in February were already licensed to practice law in other states, according to results recently released by the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions.

A statistical analysis of bar exam applications showed that 101 out-of-state attorneys were among the 182 people who took the bar exam.

Of the 176 applicants who took the three-day bar exam, 95 were already licensed in another state. Nineteen of the 95 were already licensed in two or more jurisdictions. The largest number of applicants from a single state -- 36 -- are already licensed in Alabama. Nineteen are licensed in Louisiana and 14 are licensed in Tennessee.

Six other people already licensed in other states took a one-day exam. Two of those were licensed in two or more other jurisdictions. The one-day exam is offered for attorneys licensed in states which have a reciprocity agreement with Mississippi. Attorneys from states which do not have a reciprocity agreement take the three-day exam.

This is the first time that the Board of Bar Admissions staff has done a statistical analysis of bar exam applicants to determine how many are licensed in other states. Information about licensing in other states has always been collected on each application, but the information has not been previously compiled for statistical purposes.

One hundred and fifty people, or 85.2 percent, passed the three-day bar exam.

Exam results showed that 100 of those who passed the bar exam attended law school in another state, and 50 attended Mississippi law schools.

A total of 110 people who graduated from law schools in other states took the bar exam; 100 passed. Sixty-six Mississippi law school graduates took the bar exam; 50 passed.

One hundred out of 106 men who took the bar exam passed. Fifty out of 70 women who took the bar exam passed.

One hundred and forty-five people were taking the Mississippi bar exam for the first time. Of those, 132 passed the exam. Of the 31 retaking the exam, 18 passed.

The six people who took the one-day exam are not counted in the calculation of statistics regarding pass-fail rate, in-state and out-of-state law schools and gender.

The bar exam is given each year in February and in July. The July exam traditionally has more people taking the test. The most recent exam was given Feb. 23-25.

In February 2003, 168 people took the bar exam and 140 passed, which is a pass rate of 83.3 percent. Those who passed the February 2003 bar exam included 60 graduates of Mississippi law schools and 80 who attended law school outside Mississippi. Results of the February 2003 bar exam showed 86 men passed and 54 women passed. Eight attorneys already licensed in states with reciprocity agreements passed the one-day exam in February 2003

In July 2003, 310 people took the bar exam and 271 passed, which is a pass rate of 87.5 percent. Those who passed included 174 graduates of Mississippi law schools 97 graduates of out-of-state law schools. There were 161 men and 110 women who passed the August 2003 bar exam. Ten attorneys already licensed in states with reciprocity agreements passed the one-day exam in August 2003.

The Mississippi Bar Examination is administered by the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions, a nine-member board appointed by members of the Mississippi Supreme Court. All persons seeking admission to practice law in Mississippi must take and pass a written examination administered by the board. The examination of initial admissions in Mississippi consists of one and one-half days of essay examinations, a half day of performance tests, and the one-day Multi-state Bar Examination, which is administered simultaneously in approximately 48 states. Attorneys from other states eligible for reciprocal admission must take a one- or two-day special attorney examination on subjects relevant to practice in Mississippi.

Statistical charts for the February 2004 bar exam and lists of the names and city and state of residence of those who passed the bar exam are attached to this press release. The names appear on three lists.

A list of those certified for admission to the bar includes 141 names. A separate list includes nine people who passed the general bar exam but must meet the requirement of Rule IX, Section 4.C of the Rules Governing Admission to the Mississippi Bar. The rule requires applicants to also achieve a scaled score of not less than 75 on the Multi-state Professional Responsibility Examination administered by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. A third list is of the six who took and passed the one-day reciprocity exam.

Other states in which February Mississippi Bar Exam applicants are licensed

Of the 176 applicants who took the three-day bar exam, 95 were already licensed in another state. Nineteen of the 95 were already licensed in two or more jurisdictions. The states in which these applicants are licensed and the number licensed in that jurisdiction are as follows:

Six people who are licensed in states which have a reciprocity agreement with Mississippi sat for the one-day special attorney’s examination. Two of those were licensed in two or more jurisdictions. Here is the list, by state:

Arizona – 1
Colorado – 1
Oklahoma – 1
Tennessee – 2
Texas – 4
West Virginia – 1

February 2004 Bar Results

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