The inaugural class of the Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University posted an 89.84 percent pass rate on the Pennsylvania Bar Exam -- the third highest overall rate in the state, according to results from the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners.Of the 128 members of the Class of 2009 who sat for the exam in July, 115 passed. The pass rate for all first-time test-takers who sat for the Pennsylvania exam was 87.29 percent."This result promises a bright future for these graduates entering the legal profession and also serves as an affirmation of the excellent faculty and programs at the Earle Mack School of Law," said Dean Roger J. Dennis."This class possessed an uncommon measure of entrepreneurship, and their performance on the bar exam reflects that focus and determination," Dennis said.The inaugural class included students from 21 states and six foreign countries who had graduated from 93 different colleges and universities. They arrived on campus before the law school had received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association, a measure of the students' confidence in Drexel's vision for an excellent and distinctive program in legal education.The law students were quickly immersed in an academically rigorous program taught by a faculty that is experienced and accomplished in both legal practice and scholarship. The ABA conferred provisional accreditation just 18 months after the Earle Mack School of Law opened its doors - the earliest opportunity allowed under association rules.The Earle Mack School is only one of two law schools in the country to use the cooperative education approach to legal education. Through cooperative education, students supplement classroom study with professional experience. More than 100 employers have joined the school as co-op partners, including law firms, the courts, in-house corporate counsel, nonprofit organizations, government and public-interest agencies.Shortly after opening in 2006, the law school was in high demand among students and faculty.Of more than 1,700 applicants, 180 were admitted to the inaugural class. Members of the second class had a mean GPA of 3.4 and LSAT score of 160.News Media Contacts:Noah Cohen, Office of University Relations 215-895-2705, 267-228-5599 (cell) or noah.cohen@drexel.eduSarah Greenblatt, Earle Mack School of Law 215-571-4804 or sgreenblatt@drexel.edu
