La Verne Law Grads Buck State National Trends With July 2014 First-Time California Bar Exam Pass Rate
ONTARIO, Calif. (PRWEB) November 25, 2014 -- Where national and statewide figures show a decline in bar pass rates by first-time takers for the July 2014 bar exam, University of La Verne College of Law graduates are bucking those trends and helping their alma mater maintain consistency in its bar pass numbers.
Nationally, state pass rates by first-time takers for the July 2014 bar exam have seen a broad and significant drop, with decreases as high as 15 points. Similarly, California’s first-time pass rate for ABA law schools reflects a continuing downward trend.
Preliminary data received from the Office of Admissions of the State Bar of California indicates a drop in the state’s ABA bar pass rate from 77% in July 2012 to 76% in July 2013 to 69% on the July 2014 exam.
In comparison, La Verne Law’s first-time pass rate year-to-year remained relatively stable, with its 68% in July 2013 succeeded by a 66% on the July 2014 exam. And when La Verne Law’s February 2014 results – a pass rate 19 points above the statewide average – are combined with its July 2014 numbers, La Verne Law graduates finish the year with a 73% first-time pass rate.
“I am exceedingly proud of the effort and commitment of our graduates and of the faculty, staff and administrators at the College of Law,” said La Verne Law Dean Gilbert Holmes. “These bar pass results stem from our collective focus on success.”
The 2014 overall statewide figures will not be available until the State Bar releases its statistics.
“The consistency of the first-time bar pass results at a time of national and local decline is a manifestation of the strength of our program of legal education – the La Verne Model of Legal Education – which emphasizes broad access, transformative learning experience and a secure path to career success and satisfaction,” said Holmes.
One major factor involved in the success of La Verne Law graduates in passing the bar has been the resources the law school has provided through its Center for Academic & Bar Readiness (CABR). Its customized post-graduation bar review – the Bar Exam Strategic Training (BEST) Program – is available to La Verne Law students at no additional charge.
According to Assistant Dean for CABR Jendayi Saada, La Verne Law’s pass rates are strongly correlated with the level of participation and engagement in BEST by its graduates.
“Success on the bar exam requires strong skills, hard work and commitment to the process on the part of the students as well as dedicated support for the students from the College of Law,” said Saada. “Our students have all of that.”
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About the University of La Verne College of Law
Established in 1970, the University of La Verne College of Law has been provisionally approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association effective March 16, 2012. Located in the heart of the city of Ontario, it is the only ABA approved law school in Inland Southern California, which includes eastern Los Angeles County as well as San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
La Verne Law is one of four colleges that make up the University of La Verne, an independent private university founded in 1891. Offering full-time and part-time programs leading to the juris doctor degree, La Verne Law is committed to making legal education relevant and responsive to the needs of the profession and of society. With its innovative flat-rate True Tuition Model offering affordability and accessibility, and its curriculum combining legal theory, lawyering skills, and ethics – all critical to a successful legal career, La Verne Law is positioned to be the nation’s most unique law school.
Charles Bentley, University of La Verne, http://www.laverne.edu, 909-448-4971, [email protected]
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