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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels

Woman finishes bar exam while in labor

CHICAGO (AP) — A pregnant suburban Chicago woman was so determined to finish the Illinois bar exam that she completed the test even after going into labor.

The Chicago Tribune reports 29-year-old Elana Nightingale Dawson had started the final portion of the exam last week when the Northwestern Law School graduate went into labor. The exam must be finished to be valid.

Nightingale Dawson says her goal was "to get through the exam as fast as I could and leave" unless anything more serious happened. Her contractions were about 15 minutes apart.

After finishing, she walked with the proctor about one block to a downtown Chicago hospital. The Downers Grove woman's son, Wilson, was delivered by C-section about two hours later.

She'll find out in October if she passed the bar.



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