Numbers show decline in bar exam applicants

The latest figures from the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners show a 12 percent drop in the number of prospective attorneys taking the February bar exam.

The VBBE released the names of Virginia’s newest attorneys earlier this month.

Of the 484 applicants who sat for the February 2015 Virginia Bar Examination, 287 passed.  The overall success rate was 59.30 percent.

While the pass rate figure is more-or-less typical for the February bar exam, the number of applicants who took the exam is noticeably lower compared to past years. In February 2014, there were 547 exam-takers total. In February 2013, there were 564.

The full list of successful applicants is available on the VBBE website. The list includes a separate section for the 97 exam-takers who passed, but are not yet licensed due to outstanding requirements.

The VBBE also provided the pass rates for Virginia’s eight law schools, which are listed in the chart below. Washington & Lee University had the highest overall pass rate at 88.89 percent. Graduates of the University of Virginia and College of William & Mary law schools also passed the exam at a rate of 75 percent or higher. The University of Richmond was the only school where less than half of the applicants were successful. All first-time exam takers at Appalachian School of Law, William & Mary and Washington & Lee passed.

The new lawyers will be admitted before a special session of the Supreme Court of Virginia on June 3 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The next bar exam will be held on July 28-29, 2015, in Roanoke.

Source: Virginia Board of Bar Examiners