For the first time, the Ohio bar exam will be administered at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

For the first time, the Ohio bar exam will be administered at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Potential new lawyers will take the July 2014 Bar Examination at a new location this year. For the first time, the Ohio Supreme Court will administer the bar exam on July 29-31 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

For more than 55 years, the three-day exam was administered at the Franklin County Veterans Memorial, but the building will soon be demolished and replaced with the Ohio Veterans Memorial and Museum. The exam is held twice a year in February and July.

“Almost every attorney in Ohio remembers taking the exam at Veterans Memorial. It has been a wonderful venue for the exam and it saddens us to have to leave the site and the great staff there – many of whom have worked with us for years,” Lee Ann Ward, Ohio Supreme Court Bar Admissions director, said.

Ward said it is fortunate the convention center was available to house the July bar exam and other exams in the foreseeable future.

“Although it’s difficult to leave the carefully planned environment created over the years at Veterans Memorial, change is also exciting,” Ward said.“We are focusing on the positive aspects of the move while carefully planning to provide a safe, secure exam.”

“We try to provide an environment that is as comfortable as possible for examinees as they are naturally somewhat nervous about this event that is very important to them,” Ward added.

The bar exam is administered by the Supreme Court, which regulates the practice of law in Ohio, including the admission of new attorneys, the biennial registration of current attorneys, attorney discipline in cases of misconduct, and the administration of continuing legal education.