MSU-DCL ranks third in state for passing bar exam

For Release November 12, 2003

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Jacqueline Harrington
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Michigan State University-DCL College of Law had 85 percent of its first-time applicants pass the Michigan Bar exam in July, 10 percentage points above the state average.

The pass rate was the third highest in the state, with Ave Maria Law School achieving 93 percent and the University of Michigan 90 percent.

" I am delighted at the results," MSU-DCL Dean Terence Blackburn said. "This success is consistent with commitment of our faculty to provide a rigorous legal education which prepares students for practice. The students worked diligently to prepare for the exam and their efforts were rewarded."

MSU-DCL graduate Jason Evans of Holt earned the top score in the state on the Multi-State examination with a mark of 185. This is the second year in a row that an MSU-DCL graduate has captured the top grade.

Evans graduated summa cum laude from MSU-DCL in June 2003. He currently is an associate at Aardema, Whitelaw & Sears-Ewald in Ada,concentrating on the defense of medical malpractice cases.

“ I had great classmates and great professors and received a great education at MSU-DCL,” Evans said. “I hope the rankings will reflect what an up-and-coming program MSU-DCL offers. The program has really improved and is getting better every year.”

" The bar results are pretty clear," Blackburn said. "Through the affiliation with Michigan State University, the strength of our academic program, and the rising credentials of our entering students, we have become a leading law school in the state of Michigan and we have every aspiration to be a top-ranked law school in the nation."

Michigan State University-DCL College of Law, formerly known as Detroit College of Law, was founded in 1891 and was the first law school in Detroit. To extend its commitment to educational excellence, the Detroit College of Law affiliated with Michigan State University in 1995 and moved to MSU’s East Lansing campus in 1997.

The move to MSU enabled the Law College to provide law students the benefits of a Big Ten university while maintaining its private law school status. Today, MSU-DCL has more than 1000 students and remains the nation’s oldest continuously operating independent law school.

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