Audit of the Board of Bar Examiners

This is a state performance audit of the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners, the body that reviews people who want to become lawyers in Massachusetts.

“I am pleased to provide this performance audit of the Board of Bar Examiners.”

Auditors wanted to see whether the board properly checked applicants' character and fitness and whether it gave required testing accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities.

“In this performance audit, we determined whether BBE’s evaluations of the character and fitness of all petitioners for admission to the Massachusetts bar were conducted in accordance with Section 7 of Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:01 and whether BBE provided qualified applicants with testing accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.”

The board helps decide who is allowed to become a lawyer in Massachusetts, so its work affects public trust in the legal profession.

“The board reviews issues related to the qualifications, character, and fitness of those interested in admission to the Massachusetts bar.”

If you rely on lawyers or the courts, this audit gives some assurance that the state checked whether lawyer admissions and disability accommodations were being handled properly.

“The Board of Bar Examiners reviews all petitions for admission to the Massachusetts bar submitted by eligible candidates to ensure that all persons admitted to the bar are fully qualified by education, knowledge and character and fitness.”

The auditor answered yes to both main questions: the board followed the rules for character and fitness reviews and followed ADA requirements for testing accommodations.

“Does BBE provide applicants with testing accommodations in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requirements?”

The report does not list corrective actions, because it did not report significant noncompliance.

“Our audit revealed no significant instances of noncompliance by BBE that must be reported under generally accepted government auditing standards.”

This was a clean audit result for the areas reviewed during July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018.

“We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.”

BBE means the Board of Bar Examiners, SJC means the Supreme Judicial Court, ADA means the Americans with Disabilities Act, UBE means the Uniform Bar Examination, and NTA means nonstandard testing accommodation.

“LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS”