FAMU College of Law’s first time bar passage rate on the February exam increased by 7.1 percent over the same period last year. Of the 17 graduates that took the exam, 8 passed it.
In February 2023, FAMU Law’s graduates first bar passage rate experienced a 16 percent decline when 20 graduates sat for the exam with only 8, or 40 percent, passing it.
Overall, the February 2024 testing cycle saw a substantial decrease of 15.3 percentage points, with the passage rate for first-time test takers plummeting to 56.3 percent. The examination, conducted between February 27-28 in Tampa, witnessed 593 individuals undertaking the full Bar examination for the first time. Among them, only 334 successfully passed, resulting in the aforementioned passage rate.
This February’s results for FAMU Law were a slight improvement over the 41.7 percent passage rate registered for the July 2023 exam when 60 graduates took the test with only 25 passing it.
Passage of the Florida Bar Exam is just one step towards admission to The Florida Bar. The number of candidates approved for admission might differ from the number of first-time test takers who passed the exam due to incomplete steps and the various ways individuals take different portions of the exam.
Among the other law schools, the now defunct Florida Coastal School of Law unfortunately saw none of its graduates pass the exam, while Ava Maria had a 16.7 pass rate. Florida State University fared marginally better with a 40.0 percent pass rate, and the University of Miami had a 40.5 percent pass rate.
This decline in passage rates comes in the wake of changes implemented by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners last year. Following a comprehensive study, the board introduced updates to ensure the exam accurately evaluates the skills and knowledge required for practicing law in the state. Notably, Trusts and UCC Articles 3 and 9 were switched from essay questions to mostly multiple-choice questions, a change aimed at addressing feedback received during the study.
Mindy McNichols, vice chair of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, explained the rationale behind the adjustments, stating, “The board thought that devoting an entire essay to Trusts or Articles 3 and 9 put too much weight on those subjects. This change responds to the feedback that we heard during our study.”
In February, FAMU College of Law Dean Deidre' Keller resigned after serving in the role for nearly four years and the university is set to launch a search for a new dean.
In recent year, FAMU's Bar Exam passage rate have raised concerns about the readiness of law graduates and the effectiveness of the instruction in evaluating and preparing graduates for the legal profession. FAMU stakeholders have analyzed the data to focus on strategies to support aspiring lawyers in navigating the rigorous requirements for entry into the legal profession in Florida.