Law Schools Jostle for Bar-Passing Rankings

Reprint of interesting VLW article.

By Peter Vieth
Published: November 1, 2010

The University of Virginia law school again led the way in its Virginia bar pass rate for the July exam, but only by a slim margin. U.Va.’s overall bar pass rate was 89.8 percent, with William & Mary’s law school close behind at 89.7 percent.

In fact, William & Mary topped U.Va. for first-time test takers by two percentage points.

“We are delighted with the particularly strong performance of the William and Mary law graduates on the recent Virginia bar exam,” said Dean Davison M. Douglas. “I congratulate all of our successful bar applicants and wish them well as they become productive and responsible members of the Virginia State Bar.”

Comparing overall pass rates, George Mason University’s law school was third with 83.2 percent and the University of Richmond law school fourth at 80.7 percent.

In fifth place was Liberty University with 77.3 percent followed by Washington & Lee with 73.3 percent.
Regent University was seventh with 72.6 percent and Appalachian School of Law was eighth with 55.9 percent.

George Mason law school Dean Daniel D. Polsby was succinct in his assessment of the numbers: “Res ipsa loquitur. We’re proud of our students, who have consistently performed above the state average,” he said.
Mark H. Grunewald, the interim dean at Washington & Lee University law school said, “We congratulate our students who passed, but are disappointed with our uncharacteristically low overall passage rate.”

Many schools prefer to point to their pass rate for first-time takers, usually a higher figure. In the case of Regent University, there was a 13.1-point difference between the overall percentage (72.6) and the rate for first-timers, which was 85.7 percent.

That’s the highest first-timer rate in the history of Regent Law, according to Dean Jeffrey A. Brauch.
“I am deeply proud of our students,” Brauch said. “Whether winning national championships or passing the bar at historic rates, they display excellence in everything they do. I am also thankful for our outstanding faculty. This achievement reflects their tireless commitment to train our students with depth and rigor.”

Liberty law school Dean Mathew D. Staver is looking for the national numbers, since many Liberty law grads sit for bar exams in other states.

“We had 14 of 19 first time takers pass and 17 of 22 when overall takers are added,” Staver said. “We are pleased with the success of our students but we will not be satisfied until we consistently have the highest bar pass rate in Virginia.

“While Virginia has the largest concentration of our graduates taking the bar, Liberty University is a national law school that draws students from around the country. Each year we have students taking bar exams in many states. For that reason we wait until all states have reported to determine our national bar pass rate. Our national results will be available by the end of November.”

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