Academics |
Bar Preparation |
Contact
Information
Mr. Richard
Gaffney, Director of Bar Services
Office: Center for Legal Information,
room G-14 (ground floor)
Telephone: 412.396.1990
Email: gaffneyr@duq.edu
All law students are encouraged
to contact the Director of Bar Services and to
participate in the bar preparation activities as
they are announced. Please feel free to stop by
his office so that you can meet in person. If you
prefer, please feel free to call or to send an
email.
Background
In September 2006, the Law
School created a new Director of Bar Services
position to help students prepare for and pass
the Bar Exam. The position is the result of a
study commissioned and conducted by faculty members
as part of their ongoing commitment to excellence
in legal education.
The services provided by the
Director of Bar Services are intended to be
an addition to and not a replacement for the
other bar preparation course and resources, such
as Professor Astorino's year-round review classes
and the commercial programs. The Director will
administer the bar preparation program, encourage
student participation and work with students
individually and in small study groups.
Duquesne’s Bar Pass Results Remain Strong
One hundred seventy-five Duquesne alumni from the class of 2009 sat for the Pennsylvania Bar Examination in July at locations in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Harrisburg. Continuing the successful performances from the last three years, the overwhelming majority of these graduates (88%) recently received the good news that they had passed the Bar Examination on their first attempt. Twenty-five other graduates sat for bar examinations in other states and, while results of those examinations are not yet available, the Law School is optimistic that these results will also be strong.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Duquesne placed above the statewide average for the bar pass rate for both first-time takers and total number of takers. The results place Duquesne in a cluster of other Pennsylvania law schools with strong performance records, including Penn State Dickinson, Villanova and Pittsburgh. The 2009 results outperformed both Duquesne’s ten-year rolling average for first-time bar pass rate (81.0%) and Pennsylvania’s ten-year rolling average first-time bar pass rate (78.5%).
This exceptional pass rate for Duquesne graduates was the product of months of diligent preparation and hard work. The Law School extends its thanks to our Director of Bar Services, Richard C. Gaffney, Esq., as well as to Professor Samuel Astorino, who coordinated the intensive bar preparation program -- run on weekends and evenings -- preparing our students to achieve excellence. As well, we thank the entire law faculty that provided the excellent legal training, over a period of years, that allowed our students to perform so successfully. Finally, we thank our graduates who worked tirelessly to accomplish this result that reflects so positively on the entire Law School community.
Congratulations to all of our alumni who successfully
passed the Pennsylvania bar in July and to those who have recently passed other bar examinations across the United States! |
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