Passing the bar examination is the final word ceremony of passage for would-be attorneys, however for one regulation faculty, bar examination passage charges proceed to function an albatross, and the American Bar Affiliation has lastly determined to do one thing about it.
Longtime Above the Regulation readers will recall the trials and tribulations Cooley Regulation Faculty has had with its bar examination passage charges, and now, he ABA has formally positioned the varsity on probation over its bar examination woes. Particularly, the ABA Part of Authorized Training and Admissions to the Bar discovered that the varsity was out of compliance with Commonplace 316, which requires a passage charge of at the least 75% inside a two-year timeframe. Plainly Cooley has been out of compliance since 2020, and the ABA discovered that the varsity didn’t take acceptable motion. In its probation discover, the ABA notes that Cooley’s noncompliance is “sufficiently severe that it raises issues concerning the high quality of the coed studying expertise offered by the Regulation Faculty.”
Cooley Regulation was first discovered to be out of compliance with the bar passage charge customary 5 years in the past, and was given two years to make issues proper. Regulation.com has the main points on what occurred subsequent:
In 2022, the council decided the varsity was nonetheless out of compliance and granted a good-cause extension of as much as three years.
The extension required the regulation faculty to submit a plan to return into and stay in compliance and “make the numerous monetary funding it has pledged to implement” in its plan, based on the discover.
Throughout its August assembly, nevertheless, the council discovered Cooley had not made the required enhancements.
The council of the ABA Part of Authorized Training and Admissions to the Bar has discovered Western Michigan College’s Thomas M. Cooley Regulation Faculty to be not compliant with regulation faculty accreditation requirements.
From 2018 to 2022, Cooley Regulation’s bar passage charges have ranged from 62.3% to 57.4%, with 2022’s passage charge being the bottom amongst all ABA-accredited regulation colleges.
Dean James McGrath instructed the ABA Journal he was “stunned” that the varsity had been positioned on probation. “Whereas we can’t predict the longer term, Cooley is assured that when the nationwide outcomes of the July 2025 bar examination are recognized, Cooley will be capable of definitively show compliance with Commonplace 316,” he stated. “Our program is strong, and our improved bar examination outcomes are only one metric to show it.”
Cooley Regulation will make its case earlier than the ABA in February 2026 — and hopefully, it is a take a look at the varsity is ready to cross.
Cooley Regulation Faculty discovered noncompliant with ABA accreditation customary [ABA Journal]
ABA Locations Cooley Regulation Faculty on Probation Over Low Bar Move Charges [Law.com]
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Regulation, the place she’s labored since 2011. She’d love to listen to from you, so please be happy to electronic mail her with any suggestions, questions, feedback, or critiques. You’ll be able to comply with her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or join together with her on LinkedIn.
