Legal Ed council hands down compliance decision for two Puerto Rican law schools
Two law schools in Puerto Rico received very different notices from the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar’s council this week relating to ABA Standard 316, which requires at least 75% of a law school’s graduates who take the bar exam to pass it within two years of graduation.
The council informed the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law that it is on probation for not meeting the bar passage standard, while the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law is in compliance with Standard 316.
Schools found to fall below that standard can dispute the data. If the data is accurate, schools have two years to demonstrate that they have returned to compliance, and they can receive an extension of the two-year period by demonstrating good cause, according to 2019 guidance.
The council found Inter American’s “noncompliance with Standard 316 and is sufficiently serious that it raises concerns about the quality of the student learning experience provided,” according to Wednesday’s memo.
For 2022 graduates—the most recent numbers available—Inter American’s ultimate bar pass rate was 69.18%, according to information provided to the ABA for its 509 report. The school has previously had low bar pass rates: 65.84% in 2021, and 62.11% in 2020, the report shows.
“These results must also be understood considering Puerto Rico’s special circumstances: It is a mixed jurisdiction, it does not grant diploma privilege, and bar candidates in Puerto Rico cannot benefit from the UBE/MBE portability available elsewhere—conditions that place them at a structural disadvantage compared to their peers in other states,” Inter American Law Dean Julio E. Fontanet Maldonado wrote to the ABA Journal.
He noted that the law school implemented new bar pass strategies, including simulated bar exams and a review course tailored specifically to Puerto Rico’s exam.
“In the 2023 cohort, with final results expected in November, it is just five passing grades away from reaching the 75% threshold; projections further indicate that the 2024 cohort will meet or even surpass that mark,” he added.
He noted the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico has launched a review of the bar exam, prompted by petitions from the island’s three law schools, which may even lead to the incorporation of initiatives inspired by the NextGen UBE.
Meanwhile, Pontifical Law was found in compliance with Standard 316.
Dean Fernando Moreno Orama wrote to the ABA Journal that the law school has taken steps that include stronger admission criteria, developing a bar-prep program, providing academic support and revising its academic polices to better monitor student success.
“We educate students primarily in Spanish and in a civil law tradition to practice in Puerto Rico,” he wrote. “Complying with Standard 316 in this context has demanded tailored strategies; persistent innovation; and close collaboration among faculty, staff and students.”
The law school’s ultimate bar pass rate was 62.03% in 2022, 63.33% in 2021, and 72.63% in 2020, according to its most recent report to the ABA. Moreno Orama told the ABA Journal in June that the 2023 graduating cohort has already reached an 80% passage rate.
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
