A MESSAGE FROM CLERK MAURA S. DOYLE:
Due to the ongoing public health emergency arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Massachusetts bar examination originally scheduled to be administered on July 28 and July 29, 2020 has been postponed until September 30-October 1, 2020. The exam will be administered at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston and, if possible, at Western New England University in Springfield.
For further information on the exam, please be sure to read the message at the Board of Bar Examiners page: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-board-of-bar-examiners
Consequently:
1. There will be no new filings of Petitions for Admission by July 2020 Examination and/or Re-examination accepted. Petitions that have already been received by the Clerk's office will be held and docketed in connection with the new September 30 examination date; and
2. Petitions for Admission by Examination and/or Re-examination for the September 2020 exam will be made available on or about June 1, 2020 with a filing deadline of July 17, 2020.
3. This office intends to initiate its new e-filing portal for Petitions for Admission by Examination/Re-examination in conjunction with the new filing period starting on or about June 1, 2020. E-filing is already available for Petitions for Admission by Motion and for Petitions for Admission by Transfer of UBE Score.
4. Petitions for Admission for the fall 2020 examination, as well as, Petitions for Admission by Motion and Petitions for Admission by Transfer of UBE Score, will not require wet signatures for attorney recommendations or letters of recommendation. Photocopies and electronic signatures will be accepted. The electronic signature can take the form of either a scan of the attorney's or self-represented party's handwritten signature, an electronically inserted image intended to substitute for a signature, or a "/s/ name of signatory" block. See Supreme Judicial Court Order authorizing use of electronic signatures by attorneys and self-represented litigants.
As processes and procedures are adjusted during the COVID-19 crisis, you are encouraged to review the information included in the FAQ for Attorney Services found at the link below in the "What would you like to do" section.
MSD
The Supreme Judicial Court Clerk's Office for the County of Suffolk attorney services department receives and maintains petitions for admission to the Massachusetts bar, coordinates the formal admission ceremony of new attorneys, issues Certificates of Admission and Good Standing, processes applications for student practitioners and attorneys from foreign jurisdictions, applications for licensing of foreign legal consultants, attorney name changes, and provides certified copies of Petitions for Admission to the Bar.
