The Philadelphia Bar Association, the nation’s oldest metropolitan Bar Association, issued the following statement today on adopting the position that individuals who are currently registered for the Pennsylvania Bar Examination are granted a limited diploma privilege:

“Individuals who are currently registered for the Pennsylvania Bar Examination, who have received a Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree in 2020 from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association, and who otherwise meet the qualifications for bar admission, should be given the option to receive a diploma privilege to practice law for a limited time.

“Admission to practice by diploma privilege should continue until the earlier of one year after the termination of the Governor’s COVID-19 declaration of a disaster emergency or upon notification that the individual failed the Pennsylvania Bar Examination.”

The Philadelphia Bar Association, founded in 1802, is the preeminent metropolitan association of lawyers in the United States. It is a keystone in the ongoing developments of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania legal systems. With more than 200 years of dedicated service to stand on, the Philadelphia Bar Association is firmly rooted in the Philadelphia community as a steady and reliable bellwether. To learn more about the association, visit here.