Sally Storch's parents flew out from the East Coast to babysit her toddler so she could take the state bar exam this week in Yakima. Allison Harvey-Chen arranged her honeymoon around the test. Ian Calvert expected bar exam results in the same time frame as he takes a job in public defense.
But Washington's next generation of lawyers faced a rude surprise Tuesday, as technology issues delayed — and ultimately canceled — the multiday exams scheduled this week in Yakima.
Three exam-takers forwarded an email sent Tuesday evening by the association stating that the exams had been canceled. In phone interviews and emails, multiple test-takers described a test day that quickly went off the rails with Wi-Fi issues that prevented them from starting the exam.
The canceled bar exam has now left 645 law school graduates frustrated and saying they are worried about the jobs and other plans they had lined up, according to the state bar association. Students noted it's only held twice a year.
One of the reasons I'm so disappointed is because, if and when I have to take the test again, I'm going to have to figure out childcare," said Storch, 34, as she drove back to Seattle on Tuesday night.
The email by the bar association contained a message by Renata de Carvalho Garcia, the association's chief regulatory counsel.
"We do not have sufficient confidence that the technology issues have been resolved to attempt administration of the exam (Wednesday)," according to the email. "We sincerely apologize."
In that email, the association gave test-takers three options: Take a makeup exam in Tacoma in early September, transfer their applications to a scheduled February test in Tacoma, or withdraw their applications for the exam. The association is continuing "to explore other alternatives," according to the email.
In a statement Tuesday evening, Sara Niegowski, spokesperson for the bar association, confirmed the problem was a technology issue. She referred questions about the issue to the Yakima Convention & Event Center, where the exam was scheduled to take place.
In an email, Wendy Ferrell, spokesperson for the state Supreme Court, said the court had been notified.
"At this time, all I can relay is that we received reports of the situation," Ferrell wrote in an email. The bar association, she wrote, "will be working with the Supreme Court to consider next steps."
Ian Calvert, 30, said he has a job lined up — with an August start date — with the Pierce County Assigned Counsel, which does public-defense work.
"I'm going to end up losing close to $10,000 in salary because of this," said Calvert. "I'm a public defender. I don't make money, compared to other lawyers."
Calvert added that he thought his office would be understanding, but he fears his peers might lose job opportunities or even more money due to the delay.
The test takers were also frustrated that they spent money on gas and lodging in Yakima, which is far from the state's law schools.
"No one lives in Yakima, there's no law school within two hours even, of Yakima," Calvert said, adding: "Everyone's very, very upset."
Harvey-Chen, 26, and her new husband were planning on a month to kick back as the couple moved to Olympia to start new endeavors. Her husband starts a new job in September.
"We wanted to have August as a kind-of post-marriage sort-of honeymoon time," said Harvey-Chen, who wants to practice civil rights law and ultimately a professor. "I was supposed to be done.
© 2026 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
