Maryland bar exam scheduled for July postponed, new dates tentatively scheduled for September

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland’s 2020 Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), which was scheduled to take place July 28-29 at the Baltimore Convention Center, has been postponed. 

The Maryland Court of Appeals issued an administrative order today, May 26, postponing the July 2020 Bar Exam due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. It is tentatively rescheduled for Sept. 9-10, at multiple locations, which will be determined and announced at a later date.

Various factors were taken into consideration, including the number of exam filings received by the May 20 filing deadline, as well as discussions between the State Board of Law Examiners (SBLE) and the governor’s chief legal counsel.  SBLE concluded it could not administer a single-site bar exam in July 2020.

The board’s ability to administer the UBE on Sept. 9-10 will depend on the status of COVID-19 in the state of Maryland and public health recommendations regarding group gatherings and social distancing.  

There will be no new, additional, or extended application filing periods because of this delay. Applications timely filed by the May 20 filing deadline will be carried over automatically to the September administration. Requests for the board to accept late-filed applications, pursuant to Maryland Rule 19-206(d) and Board Rule 2, will be addressed pursuant to those rules.

The administrative order postponing the exam suspends Maryland Rule 19-203(b), which requires the board to schedule the exam each July and February.  

To read the administrative order, go to: https://mdcourts.gov/sites/default/files/admin-orders/20200526postponementofthejuly2020marylandbarexamination.pdf.

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