How low can we go: The number of first-time Florida Bar takers who pass the February administration of the exam has plummeted to its lowest level in eight years.
Of 751 first-time takers, 433 passed the bar, or 57.7 percent, according to a Monday release from the state’s Board of Bar Examiners.
That’s down from the high pass rate of 80.2 percent in February 2013, when there were 819 first-timers, and the lowest passing percentage for the February exam since 2009.
“Save for a few states, bar passage rates have continued to decline nationwide,” the Above the Law blog reported late last year, noting that California’s July bar exam pass rate was its lowest in 32 years.
Experts have placed the blame on law schools lowering their admission standards to fill seats as the number of applicants continues to decline.
Part of that decline is because full-time lawyer jobs keep dwindling, according to The American Lawyer. Citing U.S. Department of Labor data last week, the website reported “employment in the U.S. legal sector took another hit in March, with the industry losing 1,500 jobs.”
Like many state bar exams, Florida’s is given twice a year, in late February and late July. More law students traditionally take the exam in the summer, however, immediately after graduation and bar review.
A smaller number, including those who fail the summer exam, take the bar in the winter. The total of all test-takers for February was 1,881.
Here are the February 2017 passage rates broken down by individual Florida law schools:
University of Miami School of Law — 80.6 percent
Florida International University College of Law — 78.9 percent
University of Florida College of Law — 66.7 percent
Florida State University College of Law — 59.1 percent
Ave Maria School of Law — 57.9 percent
Nova Southeastern University College of Law — 55 percent
Barry University School of Law — 51.5 percent
Stetson University College of Law — 51.3 percent
Florida A&M University College of Law — 46.2 percent
St. Thomas University College of Law — 44.7 percent
Florida Coastal School of Law — 25 percent
Of first-time test takers who went to law school outside Florida, 41.3 percent passed and lawyers from other states who also want to be licensed in Florida passed by 72.7 percent.
Statistics for previous exams are here.
