Class of '08 Posts 87.4% Bar Pass Rate

Assistant Professor Richard Sakai, who is co-director of the academic support program with Assistant Professor Carol Wilson, and Professor Dolores Donovan announced each graduate's name to the audience of friends and family. "If you're wondering why the ceremony took so long, it's because you are smart, you worked really hard, and you passed the bar at a rate of 87 and a half percent," Brand said after the introduction of the bar admittees.

The Class of 2008 87.4 percent pass rate exceeded the statewide average of 83 percent for first-time takers from American Bar Association accredited law schools in California.

Hon. Edward Chen, magistrate judge of the Northern District U.S. District Court, administered the oath that admitted the graduates to the state bar and approved Brand’s motion permitting the graduates to practice in the Northern District of the U.S. District Court.

After warming the crowd with a number of judge jokes, Chen became more serious. "You've worked very hard for the privilege to become a lawyer, but with that privilege comes a responsibility. And that includes a responsibility to ensure the rule of law is upheld," Chen said. "It includes a larger responsibility to ensure that...justice is accessible to all."