The Florida Board of Bar Examiners changes leadership
Mindy McNichols and Timothy Danninger are now chair and vice chair, respectively
Melinda (Mindy) McNichols
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners selected Mindy McNichols as chair and Timothy Danninger as vice chair effective November 1.
McNichols of Miami served as vice chair of the board from November 1, 2022, to October 31, 2023, and Danninger of Jacksonville will serve as chair starting in 2024.
Timothy Danninger
“I’m very excited to serve as chair with an incredible group of professionals, who are all dedicated to the mission that’s entrusted to us by the Florida Supreme Court,” said McNichols. “And that is to evaluate the competence, character, and fitness of applicants for The Florida Bar and make recommendations to the court.”
McNichols said that for the upcoming bar exam in February, applicants will be able to file electronically.
“This is going to help applicants meet deadlines easier and not have to rely on the post office,” said McNichols. “And it’s also going to help staff start the character and fitness investigations sooner.”
One issue McNichols will oversee in her term is Florida’s contemplation of replacing the MultiState Bar Examination with the NextGen exam. While McNichols was vice chair, the board decided to keep the multistate exam in place for 2026, but still need to decide for 2027.
The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has advised jurisdictions it is phasing out the multistate exam in Florida and the rest of the country after February 2028.
“This year, we anticipate receiving much more information about the NextGen bar exam,” said McNichols. “And we’ll continue to evaluate it carefully as the NCBE proceeds through its exam development process, in order to make the best recommendation for the future of the Florida bar examination.”
McNichols graduated from Duke University School of Law and has been a Bar member since 1985. She specializes in education law, serving on the Bar Education Law Certification Committee, and working with Neola as a public school and state college policy consultant.
Danninger graduated from Arizona State University College of Law, was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 2004 and the Florida Bar in 2012. He works for the Gunster law firm, focusing on commercial litigation.
