The Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia, through its 2011 launch of the "Bar Buddies" mentorship program, seeks to continue the venerable legacy of the Liacouras Committee by supporting ethnically diverse candidates who plan to take a state bar exam. The committee, recently honored at this year’s Barristers’ Association Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast, revealed the inequity of the Pennsylvania bar exam and the resulting homogeneity of the Pennsylvania bench and bar. Recognizing that many of this country’s best advocates, of any ethnicity, were black Philadelphia lawyers (Barristers), the committee sought to ensure the fair and accurate scoring of the Pennsylvania bar exam. The committee discovered gross inequities and successfully moved the Philadelphia Bar Association to adopt a resolution recommending procedures that would ensure a fairer grading system. Despite improvements in the overall admissions process, the legal profession still requires diversification. So, the Barristers’ Association initiated the Bar Buddies program.
This program matches recently admitted attorneys with law school graduates awaiting admission. Participants meet a few times during the two-month preparation period between law school graduation and the bar examination. While most Bar Buddies take either the Pennsylvania or New Jersey bar exams, administrators make every effort to find helpful mentors for those taking bar exams in other states. The immediate goal of the program is to provide mentoring during the difficult period of time between a law student’s graduation and the bar exam, in order to assist law students of varying ethnic backgrounds in passing the bar on their first attempt.
