Due to the pandemic, the state of Michigan Bar Exam for new attorneys was administered virtually for the first time this year. On Monday, those who passed the exam were sworn in, also virtually.
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack led the ceremony to swear in about 50 new attorneys, via Zoom.
During the ceremony, the President of the State Bar of Michigan, Rob Buchanon, referred to law school graduation and passing the bar exam as demonstrating integrity and a willingness to work hard.
Chief Justice McCormack welcomed the new lawyers to the profession, referring to them as “colleagues.”
“Congratulations. I am so excited for all of the contributions you will make.”
The state’s bar exam, which took place in July, was the first online bar exam in the nation’s history.
According to the Board of Law Examiners, 68 percent of applicants passed the bar exam, and 79-percent of first-time test takers passed the essay-only exam. Both were higher than year-ago levels.
There was a malicious cyberattack on the exam website during the exam, causing some to face delays logging into one of the modules. An assessment found no evidence that the delay did not have a negative effect on performance.