Opinion ID: 2366205
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: the bar's procedures are reasonable

Text: ¶ 38 Mr. McBride also argues that the Bar's procedures were unreasonable. [W]e review the actions of the Bar and the Bar examination process to determine if they clearly demonstrate that the petitioner[] [has] been treated in an unfair, unreasonable, or arbitrary manner. In re Arnovick, 2002 UT 71, ¶ 5, 52 P.3d 1246 (emphasis added). Thus, in order to prevail, Mr. McBride must clearly demonstrate unfairness. See In re Randolph-Seng, 669 P.2d 400, 401 (Utah 1983) (Relief is granted [to an unsuccessful bar examinee] only where he can prove arbitrary or capricious conduct on the part of the Bar Examiners or in the administration of the examination, or show that extraordinary circumstances of his case require his passage to prevent manifest injustice. Under either posture the burden of proof is on the petitioner. (citation omitted)). ¶ 39 In arguing that the Bar Examiners enforced an unreasonable rule in disqualifying him from the second day of the Exam, Mr. McBride relies on the following: (1) the lack of notice, (2) the allegedly arbitrary 10:00 p.m. deadline, (3) his disqualification without any evidence of wrongdoing, (4) the lack of a remedy now that his answers have been disqualified, (5) the fact that alternative methods of submitting answers were easily feasible, (6) the allegation that the sanction imposed by the Bar was extreme, unfair, and draconian, and (7) the fact that the purpose of the Bar favors a more accommodating rule. We have previously addressed several of these claims. We have concluded that the Bar provided Mr. McBride with adequate notice by informing him on seven separate occasions about the repercussions of failing to upload his exam answers within the required time frame. And we have also concluded that the 10:00 p.m. deadline was rationally related to the Bar's legitimate interest in conducting an efficient exam. ¶ 40 We find the remainder of Mr. McBride's claims equally unpersuasive. With respect to Mr. McBride's third claim, cheating or wrongdoing are not the only reasons for which the Bar can disqualify an applicant from sitting for the Exam. For instance, an applicant who fails to meet the deadline for a background check or fails to submit his or her exam fees will similarly be disqualified even though there is no evidence that he or she engaged in wrongdoing or had any intent to cheat. ¶ 41 Mr. McBride's fourth argument, that the rule the Bar applied to him precludes a remedy, also fails. Mr. McBride's own use of the exhaustive administrative and judicial remedies available to him demonstrate that a remedy was, in fact, available. Any applicant who believes that he or she was wrongly disqualified from sitting for the Bar can appeal that decision through the proper administrative channels and can ultimately appeal to this court. See Utah Sup.Ct. R. Prof'l Practice 14-709(b)-(c). Moreover, nothing precluded Mr. McBride from taking the Exam at another date, which he did. ¶ 42 Mr. McBride also argues that there were feasible alternatives to the Bar's requirement that examinees upload their own exam answers, including on-site Internet access or the use of USB drives to upload answers. But this feasible alternative argument improperly assumes that the Bar's methods and procedures must not only be reasonable, but also the most convenient for examinees. Merely showing that the Bar's examination methods are less convenient than alternative methods does not satisfy Mr. McBride's burden of demonstrating that he has been treated in an unfair, unreasonable, or arbitrary manner. ¶ 43 Mr. McBride's sixth claim is that the punishment here was draconian and disproportionate to the violation. But we find nothing unreasonable about the deadline or the consequences for failing to meet it. The Bar must establish various deadlines for its applicants. A failure to meet any of these deadlines necessarily precludes an individual from taking the upcoming exam, which may cause an applicant to lose time, effort, money, and job opportunities even though the failure to meet a deadline may be a mere technical violation. This is not an unexpected notion given that many procedural rules provide harsh penalties for merely technical errors. ¶ 44 Finally, Mr. McBride asserts that the purpose of the Bar favors a more accommodating rule because imposing an arbitrary deadline with extreme consequences contradicts the purpose of advanc[ing] the administration of justice according to law. But one of the many purposes of the Bar is to regulate the admission of persons seeking to practice law. Utah Sup.Ct. R. Prof'l Practice 14-202(c). In order to properly regulate the admission of Bar applicants, the Bar must necessarily establish deadlines to ensure the efficient administration of the Exam. This often means excluding applicants who fail to meet deadlines. In sum, Mr. McBride fails to clearly demonstrate that he was treated in an unfair, unreasonable, or arbitrary manner.