February bar results

We received news about the passage rates of this February’s Kentucky Bar Exam this week, and we are disappointed with the results.

The passage rate for Brandeis Law graduates who took the exam for the first time is 50 percent. Our overall passage rate is 53 percent.

Statewide, the February 2017 overall bar passage rate is 60 percent, down from 78 percent in February 2016.

The University of Kentucky’s overall pass rate is 59 percent. Northern Kentucky’s overall pass rate is 66 percent.

These numbers reflect a nationwide trend. The national mean MBE scaled score from February 2017 is 134, the lowest in the history of aggregated MBE results. We do not have access to the mean MBE scores for Brandeis graduates.

It is important to note that these scores don’t reflect the scores of Brandeis graduates over the past 10 years. In July 2015, we had an 87 percent pass rate, which was the highest in the state. Prior to July 2016, we have consistently been above the state average in pass percentage for the past 10 years.

We are proud of the great work our graduates have done during law school and share in the frustration of those who did not pass the bar exam. We will reach out to all graduates who did not pass the exam and will offer assistance to those who would like to take the exam again in the future.

Going forward, it’s important to note that most of these graduates did not have access to the changes currently being made to the Academic Success Program, most specifically the revamped bar prep class.

As you know, we are also moving to a more traditional first-year curriculum with a focus on the foundational courses of Property and Civil Procedure. That curriculum will take effect with the entering class of 2018.

We hope that these changes, as well as increased emphasis on the important of bar preparation, will bring our passage rates up this summer.