June 10, 2014

Announcements:

Keep your eyes open this summer for those who would like to donate bikes.  Garage sales are a good place to check, as people will often donate a bike if it hasn't sold, especially when they find out that it will be cleaned and repaired, then donated to a child who doesn't have one.  And we can give them a tax deduction receipt.

Program:

Attorney Dave Brown informed us of a program to abolish the bar exam in Iowa and adopt the diploma privilege.  He pointed to several reasons, such as the exam does not test Iowa law, and it does not measure true functional mastery of subject areas. He pointed to the fact that Iowa has two excellent accredited law schools, and that graduating from either Drake or University of Iowa serves the basic competency function.  It also places the authority in the Iowa Supreme Court to determine the standard that must be met to be an Iowa licensed lawyer, including three years of specified course work.  Dave also noted that the current pass rate for the bar exam is 96% - 98%.

The proposal is now in the public comment phase through mid-July.