Duquesne ranks second in state bar exam

Hallie Lauer | Staff Writer

Duquesne University law students have once again raised the bar — literally.

As of early October, Duquesne University law students ranked the second highest on their bar exam results in Pennsylvania. This is the 10th time in the past 11 years Duquesne has surpassed the statewide average of 75.35 percent, with 91.96 percent of first-time bar exam takers passing.

“This is a remarkable showing by a talented group of law students and faculty who remained focused and worked tirelessly to achieve the highest level of excellence on the bar exam and succeeded masterfully,” said Duquesne University President Ken Gormley, who also was the former dean of the law school.

The only school achieving higher scores in the Pennsylvania Bar Examination is the University of Pennsylvania.

“We are very proud of and happy for our graduates,” said Interim Law Dean Maureen Lally-Green. “Our Duquesne law students worked incredibly hard throughout their years of study, and their dedication and disciplined work has certainly paid off.”

Lally-Green explained how from early in the law school experience, students go through a “comprehensive bar preparation program.” This program begins during students’ first week of law school orientation.

“From the first week of law school orientation, we start discussing character and fitness requirements for admission to the bar,” Lally-Green said. “Duquesne law school works to ensure all students are prepared to take the bar examination and, indeed, are prepared for high-quality service as a lawyer.”

Part of their preparation for the exam includes learning a wide range of skills, including critical thinking, effective communication, problem solving, and legal analysis and reasoning, according to Lally-Green.

Alongside these programs helping to advance Duquesne law students, the law alumni association has also developed an endowed fund for bar preparation, Lally-Green said.

“Duquesne students directly benefit from this extensive network of support during their years here and they tap into it at every stage of their careers,” Lally-Green said.

The law school, which is either three years of study for full time students or four years of study for part time, now ranks above universities such as Temple and Villanova, along with a few other law schools.

“The entire University community is extremely proud of their efforts. These results demonstrate, once again, that Duquesne law students out-perform the usual metrics through hard work and dedication to the task at hand,” Gormley said.

Of Duquesne bar exam applicants, 103 out of the 112 who were taking the exam for the first time passed.

“The bar results shine a light on the academic excellence offered by the School of Law and, indeed, the university as a whole,” Lally-Green said.