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 Congratulations
to our graduates who passed the July 2006 Ohio Bar exam! Your hard
work and commitment to your studies paid off. Capital’s first-time
pass rate was 87 percent, placing us third in the state behind the
University of Cincinnati and the University of Toledo.
In the Law School’s newly adopted Strategic Plan, Building
on Our Momentum, Securing Our Future: Strategies 2010, one
of the key result areas is to achieve “above state average
for first-time takers on the Ohio bar examination and annual improvement
in the percentage of all takers passing the bar. "
This year’s pass rate of 87 percent is two points above the
state average. Since July 2003, our first-time pass rate for the
July Ohio bar exam has continued to improve. This year’s pass
rate marks the highest passing rate since 1997. We must continue
to maintain this momentum and constantly re-evaluate our academic
program to ensure our students’ success.
I also want to congratulate our faculty. The steps they have taken
over the past few years to ensure our students are successful and
well-prepared as they enter the legal profession are benefiting
our students.
Since 2004, the Law School has:
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Created small section courses for all first-year students,
providing each student with one-to-one faculty interaction;
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Scheduled all first-year and bar-tested courses three days
per week, providing students with more frequent contact with
faculty;
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Enhanced our legal writing and research program by requiring
every third- and fourth-year student to enroll in Legal Drafting,
a course that focuses on document drafting;
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Enhanced our academic support programs by retaining a full-time
Professor of Academic Support, H. Macy Favor Jr.,
L’93, T’97, and required academic support and second-year
Legal Analysis for students who are at risk of not succeeding
in law school;
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Retained Yvonne L. Twiss, L’98, as Professor
of Bar Services, and under her direction, created one of the
first in the country for-credit bar courses – Advanced
Bar Studies. This course provides students with an intensive,
substantive review of selected legal material routinely tested
on the Ohio bar exam and uses problems and exercises in a bar
exam format to familiarize students with techniques for answering
multiple choice questions and analyzing, organizing, and writing
essay and multi-state performance questions;
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Under Twiss’ direction, provided our students with an
array of services focusing on the successful completion of the
bar exam; and,
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Hired a full-time Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Jennifer
T. DiSanza, and a full-time Director of Multi-Cultural
Affairs, Shakeer Abdullah, to provide non-academic
support and to enhance the educational experiences of our students.
The practice of law is rigorous and demanding and so is the legal
education at Capital. Please join me in congratulating all who passed
the bar exam this year for their success and incredible hard work!
Sincerely,
Jack A. Guttenberg
Dean and Professor of Law
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Dean's Message 
