Basics of the Universal Bar Examination

Attorney Amy Goldenberg of Closter, NJ, served as a judicial law clerk for Essex Vicinage after she earned a JD from Touro Law School. Amy Goldenberg passed the Universal Bar Examination in 2017. 

To reduce barriers to lawyer mobility across the United States, the National Conference of Bar Examiners unveiled the Universal Bar Examination (UBE) in 2011. By 2020, the results of the exam will be transferable to bar examination criteria in 33 states and jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. 

The UBE includes the 200 multiple-choice-question Multistate Bar Examination, the Multistate Essay Examination, and the writing portion from the Multistate Performance Test. States and law schools have embraced the UBE for increasing employment opportunities for lawyers. Proponents also claim that the UBE will improve access to legal services by allowing lawyers to practice in multiple jurisdictions.

Touro Law Center Features Diverse Externship Experiences

Residing in Closter, NJ, Amy Goldenberg recently served as a judicial law clerk with Essex Vicinage, where she applied her skills in conducting legal research and writing briefs. An honors graduate of Touro Law Center, Amy Goldenberg passed the Uniform Bar Examination in July 2017 and is awaiting admission to the State Bars of New Jersey and New York.

Known for its experiential-learning component, Touro Law Center features an externship program that offers students the chance to familiarize themselves with a wide variety of legal-practice areas, while developing essential attorney skills. Touro guarantees that all law students will receive an externship placement worth four academic credits. Required fieldwork for the experience totals approximately 140 hours per semester.

The diverse selection of placements include roles at private law offices that handle civil law and criminal defense law, as well as opportunities with public-interest organizations and the prosecutor’s and public defender’s offices. In addition, some Touro law students do externships at federal, state, or local-level courts.

NYC Bar Committee Supports Reduction of Class A Misdemeanor Sentences

Closter, NJ resident Amy Goldenberg earned her juris doctor from Touro Law School. A judicial clerk in Closter, NJ, attorney Amy Goldenberg is a member of the Criminal Courts Committee of the New York City Bar Association. 

The New York City Bar’s Criminal Courts Committee recently issued a report supporting the One Day to Protect New Yorkers Act, a proposed bill that would reduce the maximum sentence for Class A misdemeanors by one day. While the organization has previously expressed approval for the proposed legislation, reiteration was necessary due to unfair application of existing laws against immigrants. 

The proposed legislation, if enacted, will reduce the maximum punishment for Class A misdemeanors in New York. Furthermore, it would apply retroactively, reducing by one day the sentences for people previously convicted of this class of misdemeanors. 

Under existing laws, the maximum sentence for such misdemeanors is one year. In the wake of a renewed crackdown on immigration, federal immigration authorities have used enhanced powers to target immigrants who have been sentenced to terms of one year or longer. The proposed reduction of Class A misdemeanors by one day to 364 days instead of 365 would safeguard immigrants from such deportation actions.