Baylor Law School Highly Ranked On Bar Exam Success, Technology

by Alan Hunt

Baylor Law School gets top marks in surveys by The National Jurist that compare bar exam pass rates and technology facilities among law schools nationwide. The National Jurist is a nationally published magazine for law students.
In its January 2005 issue, the publication places Baylor Law School at the sixth spot, tied with seven other schools, in a "bar pass rate" comparison among 186 law schools nationwide. Baylor, with a pass rate of 94 percent, is the highest ranked among Texas law schools and Big 12 schools in the list. The National Jurist points out that the pass rates quoted are for the test taken by the largest number of graduates from each school.
The Texas Bar Exam is given twice each year, and Baylor Law School has an unsurpassed record of success on the exam. During the rigorous two-and-a-half-day test, students have to answer questions about practically every aspect of the law and the legal issues and remedies they have studied in law school. They are required to pass the Texas Bar Exam before practicing law in the Lone Star State.
In its other ranking, the publication's "Technology Honor Roll" lists schools which are "tops in technology." Baylor Law School is ranked 28th among the 50 schools named - the highest ranked of only three Big 12 schools in the list and one of only two Texas law schools to make the "Technology Honor Roll" ranking. Southern Methodist University School of Law is ranked 15th.
Baylor Law School's information technology coordinator Rick Sowell is quoted extensively in the publication's sidebar article, "Law School Technology of the Future." Sowell is quoted as saying that he sees technology becoming even more important during the next decade, with law school classrooms getting even more high-tech. Baylor's Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center is one of the most technologically advanced law schools in the nation, with extensive wireless capability and classroom computer access for students.
Other recent accolades for Baylor Law School and its programs include a "tier one" ranking by U.S.News & World Report in its 2005 Best Graduate School rankings. The publication rated Baylor's trial advocacy program as the seventh best in the United States, and overall, Baylor Law School is ranked 50th in the U.S. News "Top 100 Schools" listing. The magazine evaluated 177 accredited law schools nationwide, using 12 "measures of quality."