December 03, 2009
The results are in. This year, only four law schools in New York
State had a bar passage rate of 92% or more: Columbia, NYU, Cornell
and St. John’s.
St.
John’s School of Law’s bar passage rate for first-time takers on
the July 2009 New York exam was 92.1%, up slightly from last year's
91.8%. At the same time, the state-wide rate for first-time
takers declined by two or three points: the rate for all first-time
takers declined from 83% to 80%; the rate for J.D. graduates of ABA
law schools declined from 90% to 88%. St. John’s bar passage
rate has improved by more than 14 percentage points over the past
10 years, and it has been 90% or more for each of the past four
years.
“The bar exam, of course, is only a means, not an end,” noted
Dean Michael Simons. “Nevertheless, it is one clear measure
of quality -- the quality of the students we bring in and the
quality of the training we give them. As such, it is
gratifying to see that we have continued to improve and have
continued to out-perform the state average.”