Hogan Partners, Law Deans Push for D.C. Diploma Privilege (1)

The push to allow lawyers to practice without passing the bar exam in Washington, D.C. has gained some heavyweight support.

Former Acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal and Sean Marotta, another Hogan Lovells Supreme Court practice group partner, urged the D.C. Court of Appeals on Wednesday to adopt a “diploma privilege.” The move, which would allow certain law school graduates who have not passed the bar to begin practicing law in D.C., is needed at a time when in-person bar exams are unsafe because of Covid-19, and online exams are encountering technical difficulties, Kaytal and Marotta said in a letter ...