Osakwe v. Board of Bar Examiners

The respondent, Board of Bar Examiners (board), denied the application of the petitioner, Gregory C. Osakwe, to sit for the Massachusetts bar examination. The board found that Osakwe, who had his initial legal training in his native Nigeria, failed to satisfy the educational qualifications set out in SJ.C. Rule 3:01, as amended, 425 Mass. 1331 (1997), which governs admission to the bar of the Commonwealth. Under SJ.C. Rule 3:01, § 3.4, as appearing in 382 Mass. 754 (1981), an applicant who does not hold a juris doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association…