Onward and Upward
Professor Vijay Raghavan teaches a bar exam course over the summer. Photo credit: Conor Sullivan
Brooklyn Law Clinches 9-Point Rise on NY Bar Exam Pass Rate, Highest in a Decade
Brooklyn Law School graduates made major gains in passing the bar exam this past summer, with an 87 percent pass rate for first-time takers of the New York bar exam, a nine-point improvement over the prior year.
Brooklyn’s 9-point performance gain tripled the improvement shown by most other ABA-accredited law schools, and marks Brooklyn Law School’s highest pass rate in more than a decade. In total, 318 Brooklyn Law School graduates passed New York’s July bar exam, with 304 being first-time takers.
The early returns show a similarly strong showing for Brooklyn Law School graduates on bar exams in other jurisdictions beyond New York. So far, Brooklyn graduates have achieved a 100 percent first-time pass rate in eight out-of-state bars (Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas). Results from three other states for which graduates took the bar are still pending.
“We’re proud of our graduates’ achievement on the bar exam, both in New York and in other states,” said President and Joseph Crea Dean David D. Meyer. “And we are gratified to see the all-in team effort by our students, faculty, staff, and alumni in the bar support initiative paying dividends for our students. The gains made on this year’s bar provide a ‘proof of concept’ for our efforts and confirm our commitment to double down in the future.”
Over the last year and a half, through the combined efforts of faculty, alumni, and staff, the Law School has made a comprehensive effort to prepare students for the New York Bar Exam, with a focus on the educational, financial, emotional, and individual needs of those taking the test. These efforts are the focus of a 2024 Summer Bar Initiative program created by the Law School’s Academic Success team, led by Associate Dean for Academic and Student Success and Associate Professor of Clinical Law Karen Porter.
“We’re just delighted with the results from our graduates, and to see that their hard work paid off,” Porter said. “In addition, team members from every corner of the Law School came together to help students achieve this.”
The Summer Bar Initiative included a broad range of assistance for students, including a faculty-led summer lecture series featuring a hot lunch and snacks, Q&A and support from faculty members, discounted rates or funding to help pay for commercial bar review courses, and rental assistance that allowed students who might have otherwise needed to work to remain focused on studying. Students also were able to access tutors and take mock exams.
The initiative involved the combined effort of faculty and staff across the Law School. Professor Linda Feldman ’83, who had previously pioneered the Law School’s bar exam efforts, returned in 2023 to help get the program off the ground. This fall, Robert N. Fisher was recruited into a new role as a full-time director of bar preparation, counseling and advising students and alumni test-takers, coordinating with Themis and other bar-review providers, monitoring and advising on developments relating to the transition to the NextGen bar exam, and collecting and analyzing data to shape the Law School’s future bar-support initiatives.
Their efforts complemented that of a team of faculty that includes Vice Dean and Centennial Professor of Law Miriam Baer, Assistant Professor of Legal Writing Meg Holzer, Assistant Professor of Academic Success and Assistant Director of the Academic Success Program Flora Midwood. Jennifer Harewood who is our institutional liaison to the Board of Law Examiners and who certifies each graduate’s bar application, played an essential role in this year’s success as did Faculty Assistant Alexander McCall, Porter added.
Alumni were vital partners in the initiative, ultimately providing more than $300,000 in gifts to the effort. The Law School’s Alumni Association dedicated all funds raised through the annual Alumni Dinner to student bar support, and Sandy Hausner ’85 sparked significant giving through a generous $100,000 challenge gift.
“The primary credit for our graduates’ success on the bar exam of course belongs to the hard work of the graduates themselves,” Meyer said. “But I am enormously grateful for the generosity and passion of our alumni, faculty and staff in supporting them at every step of their journey.
“Now we are focusing on supporting Brooklyn graduates who will be taking the bar exam in February and next July,” he said. “We are already working with our graduates who did not get the result they wanted on the July exam, and we will be expanding support for students preparing for the July 2025 exam.”
More information about Brooklyn Law’s Bar Initiative and how to support it is available here.