STUDYING THE TEST - Amid anecdotal evidence that newly licensed lawyers in New York are less prepared to practice than in the past, New York State Bar Association is looking into whether the state’s adoption of the Uniform Bar Exam is the culprit. Susan DeSantis reports that judges are bemoaning the fact that with increasing frequency new lawyers appearing before them lack knowledge of New York laws and rules. The NYSBA is expected to announce a task force today to study whether a de-emphasis on state law on the exam is the cause.
TIE-UPS - More law firm mergers than usual closed in the first three months of 2019, spurred mostly by consolidation among smaller shops, Jack Newsham reports. According to Fairfax Associates, 24 mergers were finalized during the first quarter, including three cross-borders tie-ups and 21 U.S. firms joining forces. That figure is higher than the 21 Fairfax recorded in the first quarter of 2018 and above the average of 20 mergers in the same period over the past decade.
