Cooley bar passage rate hits 80-plus percent mark

The University of Michigan Law School edged out Thomas M. Cooley Law School for first place in the percentage of first-time takers who passed the Michigan Bar Examination in February 2011, based on the results recently announced and listed below: School Passing Taking Pass Percentage University of Michigan 15 17 88.2 Cooley 169 194 87.1 Michigan State 16 19 8 4.2 Detroit-Mercy 25 31 80.6 Wayne State 18 23 78.3 All Takers* 300 348 86.2 *Total includes those taking the exam from outside of Michigan For Cooley, this marks 10 consecutive Michigan bar examinations with a score of 80 percent first-time passage rate or more, dating back to July 2006. President and Dean Don LeDuc said, "You don't hear sports fans yell, 'we're number two,' so we'd like to think of the accomplishment as the silver medal. Cooley is unfairly criticized by some because we have an access mission and try to be inclusive with admissions. The results over the last five years show that a law school can combine access with academic rigor and produce great law school graduates who compete favorably with graduates of schools with more exclusionary admissions policies." Associate Dean Charles Cercone complimented the school's faculty and staff for their efforts in preparing the students for the rigors of the Michigan Bar Examination. He noted that Cooley has a faculty that is highly regarded by the students and a staff that provides great academic support and bar preparation programs. "On behalf of our faculty, I offer congratulations to these graduates for their outstanding achievement," said Cercone. Published: Tue, Jun 28, 2011