There’s been a lot of attention paid to the falling pass rates of bar exam takers in the last few years. As fingers get pointed, the usual question is asked as to whether or not law schools are to blame. Are they admitting students who should not have been admitted?

Yes. At least that’s the reasonable conclusion to infer from a new study by Law School Transparency.

Dubious Practices

The Law School Transparency Study shows that about a one third of the currently 204 accredited law schools in this nation admitted applicants into its incoming class that scored below 150 – so called “at risk” students. This number has been steadily climbing in the last few years. In the meantime, almost all students are saddled with six-figure debt.

Causes

Data taken from the study seems to confirm that there is a direct correlation between the admission of “at risk” students and an increased failure rate of the state bar exam. But what is the cause? The most tempting answer is the 2008 depression. The dates seem to make sense, although no-one can say for sure.

Of course, there’s plenty of blame to be thrown around. A number of professors have even accused students of being of a lesser caliber than previous applicants. But if this is the argument by many schools, why do they continue to enroll? Money, of course. And the admission of less than stellar applicants seems to be only one of the tricks that schools are employing in order to stay alive.

Recent Changes

One theory that has enjoyed less press is the changing in the subject material of many bar exams. Many states, including California, have made a number of additions to the written portion of the exam including professional responsibility and agency law. Further, in the last two years, the Multistate Bar Exam has been changed to include Civil Procedure – a previously untested section in the MBE.

Related Resources:

  • Lowering the Bar (Inside Higher Ed)
  • Are Law Schools Foolishly Optimistic or Will Demand Rebound? (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
  • LSATs, GPAs, Class Sizes: Latest Declining Numbers and Your Apps (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
  • The Sky Is Falling: New Students Have Lowest LSATs in Years (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)

You Don’t Have To Solve This on Your Own – Get a Lawyer’s Help

Civil Rights

Block on Trump’s Asylum Ban Upheld by Supreme Court

Criminal

Judges Can Release Secret Grand Jury Records

Politicians Can’t Block Voters on Facebook, Court Rules