369 Candidates Pass Washington State Bar Examination

Seattle, Washington, May 18, 2000 - The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announces that 369 candidates passed the Bar Examination that was administered in March 2000. Of the 482 candidates who took the examination, 76.6 percent passed the test.

The examination is given in two parts over a three-day period, including a substantive law exam and an exam on the Rules of Professional Conduct. Candidates must successfully pass both parts in order to qualify for admission to the State Bar. If a candidate passes one part of the examination and fails the other, the candidate may sit for the next examination without having to retake the portion previously passed.

On September 21, 1999, the Washington State Supreme Court approved a new Admission to Practice Rule, APR 18, which provides a procedure for the reciprocal admission of lawyers without requiring that those lawyers pass the Washington State Bar Examination. Lawyers from other states, U.S. territories or the District of Columbia will be admitted to the Washington State Bar Association on the same terms and conditions that a Washington lawyer could be admitted in the other state. This new rule also enables Washington lawyers to seek admission in those states which provide for some form of reciprocal admission. Additional information about APR 18 can be found on the WSBA website at www.wsba.org/lawyers/licensing/faq-reciprocity.htm.

The Washington State Bar Association is a non-profit organization authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 25,000 lawyers. The WSBA administers the bar exam, provides continuing legal education for attorneys, and carries out disciplinary functions, in addition to offering numerous educational and member-service activities. The mission of the WSBA is to promote justice and serve its members and the public.

• Statistical information
• The list of those who passed the examination