Jurisdictions’ bar admission agencies routinely certify for admission individuals who demonstrate personal responsibility and maturity in dealing with fitness issues, including seeking care for mental health concerns. NCBE strongly encourages any law student or candidate for admission needing mental health care to seek it without concern for the impact on their bar admission.
— Sophie S. Martin, director of communications for the National Conference of Bar Examiners, in comments given to Law.com concerning that impact that mental health questions on bar exam applications can have on law students and law school graduates. Thirteen states — Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin — no longer ask questions about mental health on their bar exam applications. Two of those states (California and Pennsylvania) ask would-be attorneys questions about substance abuse.
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.
