Apparently, it was a not-so-well kept secret among the lawyers in Lewisburg. They knew but didn't have the balls to bring it to light until finally a Charleston lawyer wrote to Rowe and inquired about his scholarship and the school he attended.

Then last fall, I was informed that Rowe had not graduated from an accredited law school. So I asked him in public session. Now, it turns out that the video has been the subject of great discussion and may eventually lead to a full scale investigation of the manner in which Rowe became a lawyer.

When the Charleston lawyer inquired Rowe wouldn't answer so another lawyer filed a judiciary complaint. Rowe answer eventually but his answer was quite muddy.

He explained that a "representative" of the Bar Examiners Board told him that if he would take the WV Bar and passed that he could practice in WV.

Rowe never names the "representative." And we have searched the books for this so-called exception to the rule. We can't find it! Was the "representative" wrong? Or did Rowe put down on his application that he had graduated from an ABA accredited law school. Remarkably, the application is being kept secret by the Board of Examiners.

We have filed a FOIA with the Board of Examiners asking for the "policy." But they are demurring on the matter saying that the way he got his license is "privileged" information.

Since when did a government policy become "privileged" information. That's like saying it is a "secret" policy which it can'be be. (Unless we are a Communist County)

We have resent our request asking specifically for the policy. We did this on Monday so we should know by next week.

We are expecting to have to go to court to get this information. But we are confident it can be obtained.

Rowe is on his last legs in our court. Time is on our side in this matter.

Monday, Oct. 11, 1976
Degrees for Sale

California is a state of opportunity. Need an elephant? A Los Angeles firm can rent you one. Want to found your own church? No problem—a religious sect in Modesto advertises charters at $2 a month. From fast food to faster skateboards, whatever Californians want, there is usually an enterpriser around to sell it. The trendiest item now on the market: legal education.

Teaching law is a boom-time business in California, home of one-quarter of the more than 200 law schools in the nation. Admission can be a cinch. Though quality institutions like the University of California Law School at Berkeley still look for top college graduates with 700 scores on the law boards, moonlight legal factories such as Van Norman University and Magna Carta University welcome anybody with two years of college—and at least $4,000 to spend on the dream of courtroom glory. The state's education code asks mainly two things of a law school: it must be a corporation and show assets of $50,000. The California Supreme Court recently added further minimum requirements for books and curriculum. Having put up the ante, 32 schools (enrolling 4,350 students) are doing business without accreditation by the American Bar Association or the state bar. According to John Gorfinkle, consultant to the state committee of bar examiners, "Seventeen of these schools are run for profit."

Their graduates, however, are not cashing in. Sixty percent flunk the California bar exam, one of the toughest in the nation, and Gorfinkle reports that barely a fourth of those who enter the uncertified law schools ever graduate. Since 1968, for example, only seven students from Los Angeles' Van Norman have passed the bar exam. Moreover, since California requires students at unaccredited law schools to study for four years instead of the usual three and to take a "baby bar" exam after their first year, many never even get the chance to flunk the big test. One reason is third-rate teachers, most of whom are local attorneys trying to beef up their incomes at $20 a lecture. Says Gorfinkle: "I have often encountered professors who were teaching erroneous law."

Quick Buck. Why do students bother? "Romanticism, a certain Perry Mason complex," answers Gorfinkle, who also points to the social turmoil of the past decade, when many became convinced that law was a key to changing the system. The Educational Testing Service reports that nationwide, 133,000 students took the law boards in 1975, four times as many as six years ago. A big factor in the jump is the large number of women who want to become lawyers. At Berkeley last year, 102 out of 292 law students were women.

Though many of California's unaccredited law schools have eyes fixed on quick bucks, at least one offers a kind of legal education hard to find elsewhere. San Francisco's pioneering New College, which will graduate its first class next year, attracts applicants because of its apprenticeship program in public-interest law. Last year 60% of its first-year students passed the baby bar exam. Getting a job, however, is another matter. In 1975 there were 34,000 law school graduates round the country looking for work—and only 26,000 jobs.

Frequently Asked Questions.
Examination Questions

* How many times may I take the Virginia bar exam?
* What subjects are tested on the Virginia bar exam?
* Does the Board release sample answers for the essay questions?
* Can I take the Virginia bar exam if I did not graduate from a law school which was approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) at the time of my graduation?
* I took the Multistate Bar Exam in another state. Can I transfer that score to Virginia?
* I am licensed in another state but do not qualify for admission without examination. Is there an abbreviated "attorneys' exam" which I can take in lieu of the regular bar exam?
* Where are bar review courses given, how much do they cost, and which bar review course is the best?
* Does Virginia require the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (the "MPRE")?
* When and where is the MPRE given?
* What is the passing score on the MPRE in Virginia and how long is my MPRE score valid?

Application Questions

* How much does it cost to take the Virginia Bar Examination?
* What is the deadline for filing an application to take the July bar exam?
* What is the deadline for filing an application to take the February bar exam?
* Is there a late filing deadline?
* Is my application considered timely filed if it is postmarked by the filing deadline?
* As a first year law student, do I have to "pre-register" in Virginia?

Scoring Questions

* When are the results of the Bar Examination released?
* How is the essay portion of the exam graded?
* How is the multistate portion (MBE) of the Virginia exam scored?
* Does Virginia have a minimum passing score on either portion of the exam?
* How are the scores on the essay and multistate portions of the exam combined to determine my score?
* If I pass the exam, why doesn't the Board tell me my exact score instead of just notifying me that I passed?
* Can I have my exam answers re-graded if my score is close to passing?
* I failed the exam. Can I talk with an examiner?

Character and Fitness Questions

* How soon must I submit my completed Character and Fitness Questionnaire?
* If I have an unresolved character and fitness issue, may I take the exam before it is resolved?
* Why is my credit of concern to the Board?
* Can I take the exam if I have filed for bankruptcy?
* Can a convicted felon take the Virginia bar exam?


Examination Questions
How many times may I take the Virginia bar exam?

See § 54.1-3930 of the Code of Virginia. Although the Board has discretion to grant an applicant permission to take the exam more than five times under the criteria set forth in the statute, such permission is not routinely granted and very seldom after a sixth attempt.

Back to the question list
What subjects are tested on the Virginia bar exam?

See Section I of the Rules of the Board.

Back to the question list
Does the Board release sample answers for the essay questions?

No.


Can I take the Virginia bar exam if I did not graduate from a law school which was approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) at the time of my graduation?

No. The Board has adopted the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools. Thus it is unlikely that a law school which has been found not to comply with the Standards by the ABA would be approved by the Board.

I have never seen a clean Lawyer yet. Scum bags all. They are major part of this nations problems!

Unfortunately for Pocahontas County. There are no good lawyers or judges. Believe me. I have been in court enough to know. None of them have any good sense.

Yes, and the other lawyers have been sitting on this secret while Rowe was messing over their clients.