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My reaction, like all applicants, is anger and disbelief. Anger that a better and more viable alternate solution is readily available, and in disbelief that a government body can be so utterly and inexcusably incompetent as the [Florida Board of Bar Examiners] is. Applicants are exhausted, and are taking several days’ well-deserved rest.
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners knew last week that there was no way the software would work. The fact that they never even went to a stress test means they knew well before last night that this wouldn’t work, and they still had no contingency plan. They had no alternative option besides delay, kick the can down the road, and hope they can figure it out later.
Who knows if it will be ready by [October]? Who knows what the realities for the applicants will be by then? People are starting work next week. They can’t wait until some undetermined time in October to get a paycheck and put food on the table. It’s utterly unethical, what the Board of Bar Examiners have done.
— Brian Heckmann, a recent graduate of Florida International University Law, commenting on the last-minute cancellation of the Florida bar exam with just two days’ notice. Considering the pandemic, Heckmann is a proponent of emergency diploma privilege for those who would like to practice law in Florida.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at 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 Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.