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612 ABA Journal Bar Exam articles.

Charlotte School of Law sues ABA, arguing it was never out of compliance with bar pass rule

Updated: Following the Florida Coastal School of Law lawsuit filed against the American Bar Association last week, another InfiLaw school, the now-shuttered Charlotte School of Law, has sued the organization, arguing the ABA violated the law school's due process rights when it placed the law school on probation in November 2016.

May 15, 2018 6:31 PM CDT

Multistate Bar Exam average score for February drops to apparent new low

Compared to last year, there were 5 percent fewer test-takers for the February 2018 multistate bar exam, and the average score decreased from last year's 134.1 to 132.8, according to information released Wednesday by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Apr 19, 2018 4:35 PM CDT

People can change, Washington Supreme Court says regarding bar applicant with felony convictions

In explaining a ruling that allowed a law school graduate and Skadden Fellow with a criminal past and in recovery for substance abuse to sit for the state bar, the Washington Supreme Court wrote that “one’s past does not dictate one’s future.” Tarra Simmons, a magna cum laude graduate of…

Apr 6, 2018 2:02 PM CDT

New bar exam data released: Pass rate up almost 3 percentage points

The aggregate first-time bar passage rate for the class of 2017 was 77.2 percent—an increase from 2016, when the first time pass rate was 74.3 percent, according to data released Thursday by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Mar 22, 2018 1:52 PM CDT

BARBRI settles suit by blind law students who alleged bar prep materials weren’t fully accessible

BARBRI has agreed to make its online bar-review products more accessible to blind and vision-impaired students as part of a consent decree in a disability suit. The suit settled this week, according to a press release. The suit, filed last year in Dallas federal court, had claimed violations of the…

Jan 24, 2018 11:24 AM CST

Most California ABA-accredited law schools see first-time bar pass rates rise in July 2017

Seventeen of California's 21 ABA-accredited law schools saw first-time test-taker pass rates increase for the July 2017 bar exam. Four of those 17 schools recorded first-time pass rates below 55 percent.

Jan 3, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Safe for work: Top legal news 2017

Law-office coffee breaks come with a strong dose of law-focused chatter. In 2017, Trump administration legal initiatives were a constant source of politically charged news. But headlines that drew the most interest were largely calming water-cooler distractions.

Dec 22, 2017 7:00 AM CST

New bar pass rate questionnaire will yield better information but create more work for law schools

There’s no bar passage data on this year’s law school consumer information reports, which came as a surprise to some. That information, with more recent numbers than in years past, is expected to be released in March 2018.

Dec 21, 2017 2:00 PM CST

How did some law schools increase first-time pass rates by at least 10 points in 2017?

A year after offering a three-credit, graded multistate bar exam course, which includes videos created by professors that students watch before class, Campbell University School of Law saw a greater than 13-point increase in the pass rate for first-time test-takers in North Carolina in July 2017.

Dec 20, 2017 9:00 AM CST

Questions on California bar exam line up with lawyer jobs data, study finds

The content of the California bar exam lines up with national surveys about skills expected for first-year lawyers, but a state-specific assessment would be helpful, according to a recent content validation study from the State Bar of California. The report, sent to the California Supreme Court on Dec. 1, the…

Dec 7, 2017 4:23 PM CST

California sees increase in pass rates for July 2017 despite denying requests to lower cut score

After the California Supreme Court's rejection of requests to lower the state bar exam cut score, the July 2017 overall pass rate slightly increased.

Nov 20, 2017 2:43 PM CST

Law grad with criminal record can sit for state bar, Washington Supreme Court rules

After a Thursday hearing with many questions centered on the substance abuse recovery of Tarra Simmons—a 2017 law school graduate who also has an addiction history, as well as prior theft and drug possession convictions—the Washington Supreme Court ruled that she can sit for the state bar.

Nov 17, 2017 4:46 PM CST

Texas law school serving at-risk students achieves 59% bar pass rate

The University of North Texas Dallas College of Law, which opened in 2014 to help students with lower admission credentials gain law licenses, had a 59.3 percent pass rate for the July 2017 Texas bar exam, its first graduating class.

Nov 9, 2017 3:00 PM CST

New York State Bar exam sees slight pass rate increase for July 2017

The overall pass rate for the July 2017 New York State Bar exam was 68 percent, the New York State Board of Examiners announced Tuesday.

Oct 25, 2017 2:46 PM CDT

Cut score for California state bar exam to stay at 1440—for now

The California Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will not be adjusting the state bar cut score, which is 1440.

Oct 18, 2017 5:47 PM CDT

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