ABA warns Golden Gate law school about bar results

The American Bar Association notified Golden Gate University School of Law that it is “significantly out of compliance” with the accreditation standard requiring it to only admit students who appear capable of finishing law school and passing the bar.

In a letter dated April 10, the ABA wrote that the school was also not complying with the three interpretations of the admissions mandate, including one that says a cumulative non-transfer attrition rate above 20 percent for a class creates a rebuttable presumption that the law school is not in compliance.

The San Francisco school must submit a report to the ABA about the issues raised by Jan. 15 and appear before the association’s accreditation committee in May 2019. If the written report demonstrates compliance with the accreditation standards, the hearing could be canceled.

Golden Gate Dean Anthony Niedwiecki, who started in August, said in a statement the ABA’s findings were based in part on 2015 and 2016 first-time bar taker pass rates.

The school’s first-time success rate on the July 2015 California bar exam was 39.3 percent, and it fell to 31 percent in July 2016. Both times the only ABA-accredited school in the state that Golden Gate outperformed was Whittier Law School, which has announced plans to close.

Golden Gate saw steady attrition among new students in recent years. For the 2016-2017 academic year, the school’s non-transfer attrition rate among its first-year class was 30.5 percent, according to a document it filed with the ABA. That was a slight increase from the year before.

Niedwiecki said the ABA’s letter does not impact Golden Gate’s accreditation, but “simply requires that we continue providing details on our admissions and bar passage goals, and the steps we are taking to meet these goals.”

He highlighted that the school’s first-time pass rate on the July 2017 California bar exam increased to 51 percent. The dean also said the school is instituting “one of the most comprehensive bar preparation and academic development programs in the country” through a partnership with Themis Bar Review.

The program will have students answer practice bar questions in each course they take on a subject tested on the bar exam. They will also take practice bar exams at the end of the first year and at the start of the third year, among other initiatives.

Niedwiecki said Golden Gate has been aggressive in recruiting students with strong credentials, including through personal meetings with the dean and offering generous scholarships. The school hopes to boost the median LSAT score for its incoming class from 148 to 150.

The dean also said he personally met with all incoming students last fall to share what Golden Gate can do to assist them, and the school has started to lower its transfer rate. He said a nonpublic letter the ABA provided, and he did not yet have permission to share, details progress the school has made on a number of fronts.

“There is no question we are heading in the right direction,” Niedwiecki said.