On July 28 and 29, 2020, the Uniform Bar Exam was administered by the Attorney Services Division of the Nebraska Supreme Court to 142 recent law school graduates at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. Due to the exam taking place during a pandemic, extensive measures were necessary to keep the candidates and exam proctors safe. All candidates were required to sign a Code of Conduct in early June, agreeing to report to the Supreme Court any COVID-19 exposure and if they were showing any sign of the illness. The Code also required them to cooperate with the Supreme Court’s plan to test all candidates for the disease prior to the exam date. Attorney Services arranged for free COVID-19 testing on July 24th for all candidates and proctors. With the assistance of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, TestNebraska, and the Nebraska Air National Guard, 150 tests were administered, with results back prior to the exam’s administration.

Attorney Services also collaborated with the Judiciary, the Governor’s Office, the Lincoln City Attorney’s Office, and CHI Health leading up to the exam to ensure strict social distancing requirements could be met. In addition to adequate spacing between candidates, each person in attendance was required to wear face coverings throughout the 2-day test.

Nebraska was one of 24 states to administer a bar exam despite the COVID-19 pandemic.