Executive Director's Report, 1115 ALBJ, 76 The Alabama Lawyer 370 (2015)

• Author: Keith B. Norman, J.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

Vol. 76 No. 6 Pg. 370

Alabama Bar Lawyer

November, 2015

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0 Keith B. Norman, J.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0The Times They Are A-Changin'... Again

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0In 1964, Bob Dylan released the album, "The Times They Are A-Changin', " featuring the song by the same title. Most "Baby Boomers" are probably familiar with the lyrics of this song, which has been recorded and released by a number of groups since then. The first of its five verses reads:

"Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin' or you sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'"

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0From adopting the use of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) and Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), to fully implementing the Uniform Bar Exam [UBE] and the online Alabama law course for bar examinees, the Alabama State Bar continues to make strides in the area of admissions. The latest change involves the law student registration and bar examination application process. The student registration and the application for the bar exam are now web-based and must be completed online. They are accessed via a new admissions portal on the bar's website. Admissions Director Justin Aday and the admissions staff have worked diligently with ILG Admissions Software Company over the last year to develop t he web-based application interface and payment facility that will not only streamline the previously tedious application process, but create a paperless environment for completing, filing, receiving and reviewing bar applications and supporting documents.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0The admissions staff will no longer have to deal with walls of filing cabinets filled with paper applications, or spend days copying files of those applicants who have been referred to the Character and Fitness Committee for a hearing. All files and supporting documents will be saved as electronic images that are easily viewable from a computer, laptop or tablet. In addition, the admissions staff will no longer be required to process the payments for out-of-state applicants who must file a character report prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners [NCBE). Payment for these reports will now...