Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Students Reach 90 Percent Bar Passage Rate

First-time test takers from Cleveland Marshall rank third among Ohio law schools

CLEVELAND, May 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The bar passage rate for first-time test takers from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University in February hit 90 percent, according to recently released results.  Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law ranked first with eight students tested. The College of Law at the University of Cincinnati ranked second with five students, and Cleveland-Marshall ranked third with 30 students tested.  

"When you take into account that Cleveland-Marshall had considerably more students taking the exam than the schools that placed above us, this is an even greater accomplishment," said former Cleveland-Marshall law dean and current interim provost, Geoffrey Mearns. "The Board of Trustees challenged us to place among the top law schools in the state for bar passage, and we have met that challenge."

In 2004, Cleveland-Marshall launched its Bar Passage Plan, which included the Ohio Bar Strategies and Tactics course that has been instrumental in assisting graduates with the bar exam.

"In addition to demonstrating our graduates commitment to excellence, these results reflect the high caliber of our staff and faculty's work in preparing our students to pass the bar exam," Mearns said. "We are doing exactly what we set out to do for our students."  

About Cleveland-Marshall College of Law

The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law traces its origins back to 1897, when the Cleveland Law School was founded. It was the first evening law school in the state and one of the first to admit women and minorities. Another evening law school, John Marshall School of Law, was founded in 1916. In 1946, the two schools merged to become the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law. Cleveland-Marshall became part of Cleveland State University in 1969.

SOURCE Cleveland State University