The LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center had the highest passage rate in the state for the Louisiana State Bar Exam in July, according to data released by the Committee on Bar Admission of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Of the University’s 128 bar applicants in July, 84.4% passed the exam. The next highest rate was Tulane with 76.7%, while the lowest rate was Southern University with 51.1%. The University also had the highest average pass rate in the state for first-time exam takers in July, with 85.6% passing.
Law Center Dean Thomas C. Galligan Jr. attributed the high passage rate to the curriculum, students’ work ethic and the quality of faculty members.
“Louisiana’s private law is civil law, and our public law is common law, and we require every student to take courses in both areas of the law,” Galligan said. “I think the requirement means that everybody is exposed to some of everything.”
Bar exams throughout the country are overseen by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. This organization creates guidelines for bar admission and writes the Multi-State Bar Examination, which most states use for the portions of their bar exam that cover federal law.
While the topics the bar exam covers remain the same, the questions change with each round of examinations. Students are able to view previous bar exams for study purposes.
Law students throughout the country must pass their state’s bar exam to obtain a license for practicing law. Louisiana’s bar exam consists of three days of rigorous testing on substantive and procedural law.
First-year law student Victoria Montanio said the Law Center’s curriculum helped students in passing the exam.
“I think (it was) the rigor of the curriculum,” Montanio said. “Constant reading assignments but also hypothetical assignments after class to get us to think about how to apply the law.”
According to Galligan, the Law Center’s curriculum sets itself apart from other state law schools because of the thorough course requirements in addition to various hands-on learning experiences, like mock trial, field placements and both internal and external law competitions.
First-year law student Raylea Willoughby said law school alumni often come back and tell current students about how the Law Center’s intense coursework helped them to succeed in their careers.
“They give us so much stuff to do so we have to learn how to juggle things, especially studying, and I think that’s how more of our students pass the bar exam,” Willoughby said.