Law grads place first on Florida Bar exam

Don Weidner, dean of the Florida State University College of Law.

Florida State University College of Law graduates ranked first among the state’s 11 law schools on the February 2013 administration of the Florida Bar examination. Florida State law graduates have ranked first or second in the state on 10 of the last 15 administrations of the exam.

Florida State law graduates taking the February 2013 General Bar Examination for the first time passed by a rate of 96 percent, according to statistics released Monday by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. The overall passing rate of all law school graduates taking the exam for the first time was 80.2 percent. The exam was administered Feb. 26-27 in Tampa to 819 first-time takers, including 25 from Florida State.

“We are very proud that Florida State law students continue to achieve superb results on the Florida Bar exam,” said Dean Don Weidner. “Special congratulations and thanks go to our recent graduates for their outstanding accomplishment.”

In addition to performing well on the Florida Bar examination, Florida State graduates are highly valued in the legal job market.U.S. News & World Report(2013) rates Florida State the nation’s 23rd best law school, and Florida’s best, in terms of the percentage of 2011 graduates employed nine months after graduation in full-time, long-term, Bar admission-required or J.D.-preferred jobs.