MSU-DCL College of Law students are setting the bar each time they hit the law books.
The law school ranks third out of six law schools in the state for first-time student applicants who passed the Michigan Bar exam in July. The exam is administered to all lawyers before they can practice.
Eighty-five percent of the law school's 126 first-time applicants passed the exam, which was 10 percentage points above the state average.
The law school placed behind Ave Maria Law School with 93 percent, behind the University of Michigan with 90 percent and ahead of Wayne State University, which had 81 percent passing.
MSU-DCL ranked second last year behind the University of Michigan.
MSU-DCL Dean Terence Blackburn credits the high passing rate to new facilities and academic programs.
"This validates all of the work that has been done and it shows that we have been doing the right thing," Blackburn said.
The results will help attract more students to MSU-DCL, Blackburn said.
Jason Evans, a 2003 MSU-DCL graduate, received the highest score in the state this year on the exam.
Graduate student Lance Werner took the bar exam in July 2002 and credits his experience at MSU-DCL in helping him pass the test.
"As a whole, Detroit College of Law gives students a good foundation to build from," Werner said.
First-year MSU-DCL law student Scott Smith said hearing news of the ranking gives him more confidence in his law-school choice.
"It makes me a little more happy and helps solidify my decision to come to DCL in the first place," Smith said.
Smith said he credits MSU-DCL instructors with the high percentage of passing students.
"I am impressed with the accessibility of the professors," Smith said. "They are all more than happy to help out if you have a problem."
Smith said after he finishes law school, he will feel well prepared to take the bar exam.
"Every law student sweats taking the exam, but I won't be as nervous going into the exam than if I had gone to any other school," Smith said. "After my years at DCL, I will have had a nice background to take it."
But MSU-DCL law Professor Craig Callen said the bar exam isn't the sole indicator of how well a law student can handle work experiences once they pass the test.
"The exam tests some things, but it can't test everything the students will need to be successful in life as lawyers," Callen said.
DCL professors try to help students gain experience with areas the exam doesn't cover, Callen said, which includes advising students on how to relate to clients as well as how to think on their feet in a courtroom.
"As professors, we can't take the exam; we can only help the students to come through and in this case they came through very well," Callen said. "We do our best to help equip them with what they need for life."
Staff writer Alessa Thomas contributed to this report.
