WACO— November 13, 2018

Baylor Law students frequently have had the top pass rate on the Texas Bar Exam but, in what is believed to be a first, the top three individual scorers of the July 2018 Bar exam are Baylor Law graduates.

According to the Texas Board of Law Examiners, 1,532 individuals took the exam in July. The top score that could have been made was 1,000 and exam takers had to score at least a 675 to pass.

Spring Branch, Texas native Stephen Burbank, J.D. ’18, earned the highest score on the exam, while Rachel Koehn, J.D. ’18, of Houston and Kyle Steingreaber, J.D. ’18 of Porter, Texas tied for the second highest score.

Burbank received word on October 31st of his top score, and has been invited to speak at the State Bar of Texas’ New Lawyers Induction Ceremony at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin on November 19th. He is currently clerking for the Honorable Alan Albright of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Waco Division, and will continue to do so until the fall of next year.

Upon receiving word from Justice Jeff Brown of the Texas Supreme Court about his first-place score, Burbank stated that he was, “happy, but confused. I was just trying to pass the exam and by no means did I think I would receive a score like this.”

Rachel Koehn added, “It’s particularly special to be recognized alongside my Baylor classmates Stephen and Kyle, both of whom I highly respect. All I can say is that the Lord is good, and I am continuously in awe of His provision in my life.”

The Texas Bar exam is a grueling, two-and-a-half-day long exam consisting of multiple choice questions, essays, and short answer questions.

"I find it particularly impressive that while Baylor students represented less than seven percent of the participants who took the exam, all three of the exam's top scorers are Baylor Law graduates," said Baylor Law Dean Brad Toben. "We are so delightfully proud of Stephen, Rachel, and Kyle and we wish them continued success in their lives and in their professional careers as Baylor Lawyers."

Last week, results from the July Texas Bar exam were released and Baylor Law once again had the top exam passage rate; 89 of the 96 exam takers passed, a rate of 92.71 percent. The state's overall passage rate among those who took the bar exam for the first time was 77.87 percent. Baylor Law has been No. 1 on 23 of the 35 bar exams given since 2001.

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ABOUT BAYLOR LAW
Established in 1857, Baylor Law School was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Today, the school has more than 7,400 living alumni. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Baylor Law School has a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School boasts two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature, among its notable alumni. In its law specialties rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program as one of the top 5 in the nation. Baylor Law School is also ranked #50 in the magazine’s 2019 edition of "America’s Best Graduate Schools." The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the "Best School for Practical Training," and in the top 15 "Best Law School Facilities" in the country. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. Baylor Law School received the 2015 American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award's inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more at baylor.edu