NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 7, 2008

CONTACT: KRISTEN LARE FLORY
517/432-6959, florykri@law.msu.edu

MSU Law Announces Bar Passage Rate for Michigan and Out-of-State Exams

Class of '08 First-Time Test-Takers Passed at a 83 Percent Rate

East Lansing, MI – Michigan State University College of Law recently announced the passage rate of Spring 2008 graduates who took the Michigan Bar examination for the first time in July. Reported results show 83 percent of MSU Law Spring ’08 graduates passed the Michigan Bar examination, before appeals, which is over the state’s 81 percent average.

In addition, MSU Law graduates showed impressive passage rates in 19 other states from those who took each state’s examination for the first time. A 92 percent passage rate from graduates who took the Illinois bar is particularly noteworthy.

"Beating the state average in Michigan is a good start, but I'm more pleased that this year's MSU Law graduates achieved 100 percent passage rates in 16 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin,” says MSU Law Dean Joan Howarth. “Excellent new attorneys from MSU will be joining the profession here in Michigan and across the nation."

MSU Law ‘08 graduates who took the Michigan Bar exam will be licensed to practice law in Michigan once they are sworn in and pay their bar dues. MSU Law is holding a Swearing-In Ceremony for the Michigan Bar on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 6 p.m. in the Clif and Carolyn Haley Moot Courtroom, located in the Law College building. Participants will be sworn in by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan.

MSU College of Law was in founded in 1891 and is a private institution of higher learning devoted exclusively to professional education in law. The Law College is one of only a few private law schools to be affiliated with a research university, enabling it to provide a comprehensive interdisciplinary legal education program. Classes offered in its state-of-the-art facilities provide students the benefits of a Big Ten campus while maintaining the small school culture. The Law College is one of the oldest continuously operating independent law colleges in the nation. For more information about the Law College, visit www.law.msu.edu.

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