Law students hear from Michigan Board of Law Examiners

On Jan. 9, law students at WMU-Cooley’s Lansing and Grand Rapids campuses participated in a presentation from the Michigan Board of Law Examiners (BLE). Maribeth Graff, executive director of the BLE and Keith Wilkinson, assistant director of character and fitness for the State Bar of Michigan, spoke about preparing for the bar exam and the process applicants must go through to be accepted into the bar.

During the presentation, Graff and Wilkinson shared information about the types of questions on the bar exam and obstacles students have when answering various questions on the exam. They said that the number one error of those taking the bar is not addressing the call of the question.

While discussing character and fitness issues, Graff and Wilkinson said the BLE analyzes and verifies information from bar applicants and third parties, including driving records, criminal records, law school records, employment records, and credit reports. They also spoke about the character and fitness evaluation that the BLE conducts, which includes considering matters such as making false statements or omissions, unlawful conduct, academic misconduct, neglect of financial responsibilities and evidence of drug or alcohol dependency.