Peyton's Struggles: Florida Coastal School of Law

[tufsu1]

um...really?

from what I understand, FSU consistently has the state's highest pass rate on the bar

You evidently misunderstood.

It varies from exam period to exam period, but FSU isn't consistently in the top spot. Actually, except for 2006, they're rarely in the top spot. And FCSL regularly lands ahead of FSU.

http://www.sunethics.com/ba-results.htm

http://www.discourse.net/archives/2008/09/university_of_miami_law_tops_florida_bar_pass.html

please explain...the one link provides history...and FSU led in general pass rate for 2006, July 2007, and Feb. 2008

[ChriswUfGator]

um...really?

from what I understand, FSU consistently has the state's highest pass rate on the bar

You evidently misunderstood.

It varies from exam period to exam period, but FSU isn't consistently in the top spot. Actually, except for 2006, they're rarely in the top spot. And FCSL regularly lands ahead of FSU.

http://www.sunethics.com/ba-results.htm

http://www.discourse.net/archives/2008/09/university_of_miami_law_tops_florida_bar_pass.html

please explain...the one link provides history...and FSU led in general pass rate for 2006, July 2007, and Feb. 2008

You said, and I quote:

FSU consistently has the state's highest pass rate on the bar

In reality, it does not, as the links I posted indicate. Pretty self-explanatory, no?

[tufsu1]

not really...but ok, I'll take back the word "consistently" and replace it with "regularly"....but you implied that they only had the top spot once...and your own reference shows at least three times since 2006.

[ChriswUfGator]

not really...but ok, I'll take back the word "consistently" and replace it with "regularly"....but you implied that they only had the top spot once...and your own reference shows at least three times since 2006.

But you didn't say "regularly" you said "consistently". 

I wouldn't even call 3 times out of 12 bar exams (2 per year since '05) "regularly", but I guess reasonable minds could differ on that one. In any event, FCSL has done at least that well, which again, was really the whole point here in the first place.

And what exactly are you arguing with this "If I had used different words, then I would have had a point" routine? You said what you said, and I responded to it. If you're admitting that FSU does not consistently score the highest in the state on the bar exam, as you claimed, then obviously I agree with you.

But you can't just backpedal whenever you're proven wrong, conveniently claiming that your own written statement wasn't what you meant, and then declare yourself right based on something you didn't say until your original statement was proven incorrect. By that standard, nobody could ever be wrong about anything, ever. If anyone else tried to pull that B.S., you'd be the first one to call them out on it. WTF?

[tufsu1]

I agree that the wrong word was used and I apologize...all I was doing was questioning the original point that FCSL has done better than FSU (and as stated FIU, Stetson, etc.) over the past few years...the data does not show that.

[ChriswUfGator]

I agree that the wrong word was used and I apologize...all I was doing was questioning the original point that FCSL has done better than UF and FSU over the past few years...the data does not show that.

Ya, clearly...

GENERAL FLORIDA BAR EXAMINATION

Florida International, 81.5% (22 of 27)

Stetson, 80.0% (60 of 75)

Non-Florida law schools, 73.7% (278 of 377)

Nova Southeastern, 72.5% (29 of 40)

AVERAGE OF ALL LAW SCHOOLS, 70.7% (554 of 784)

St. Thomas, 70.4% (19 of 27)

AVERAGE OF FLORIDA LAW SCHOOLS, 67.8% (276 of 407)

Florida Coastal, 66.1% (39 of 59)

Florida State, 65.0% (26 of 40)

Florida, 64.9% (24 of 37)

Miami, 61.1% (22 of 36)

Barry, 54.5% (12 of 22)

Florida A&M, 52.3% (23 of 44)

[tufsu1]

as you said yourself, one exam sitting over a multi-year period does not a "regular" trend make

[JaxByDefault]

<sigh> This thread is not a debate over bar passage rates, law school rankings, etc.

the state's highest pass rate

Bar passage rates mean very little. Some schools provide bar prep for many of their students, while at others students are left to fend for themselves and rely only on commercial prep courses for bar study. Bar passage rates are thus influenced by school policy, course selection and requirements, and resource allocation. Most FloCo students stay in FL, thus the school makes a sizable investment in preparing students for the FL bar. It makes less sense for somewhere like UF to invest in bar prep when fewer of their graduates will remain in the state and more will be sitting for exams elsewhere. Also, keep in mind that some schools publish their 1 year bar pass rate (which would be 2 shots), others print their first-time pass rate (1 shot, usually July), and other publish their per-sitting rate (a certain shot, w/ all takers regardless of number of previous attempts). No surprise, law schools tend to harp on their highest stat.

It's the worst ranked law school in America

U.S. News and other indicators do not number rank schools past 100. It is impossible to differentiate the rankings of schools in the third and fourth tiers.

98% of the people who graduate from there won't find a job that pays decent wages in the legal field.

It's a tough time for all new lawyers in general, and it is always much tougher to secure employment if (like a significant majority of all lawyers in America) you didn't graduate from one of the "Big 15". New lawyers everywhere are painfully aware of their student loan burdens and job prospects--no need to remind them. As for decent wages, well, frankly law salaries for associates are terrible across the board here in JAX when compared to those in cities with similar costs of living.

No more FloCo bashing or p***ing contests over law schools. Let's get this thread back on track and stick to the debate over missed opportunities for downtown, please.

I think we can all agree that not landing FloCo downtown was a huge mistake by the city. We all would have benefited from a robust downtown law library, a hoarde of available clerks, more opportunities for professional and academic development among local bar members, and 1500 more bodies in the urban neighborhoods to live, work, play, and spend money. Perhaps then firms wouldn't be fleeing for the suburbs, too.

[Springfield Girl]

I may be way off base here but I could never understand how LaVilla School of The Arts could be located on the outskirts of Downtown while Douglas Anderson School of the Arts is housed in a substandard building and location off Philips Highway. Why would the school board not try to relocate the arts high school downtown? The middle school kids either ride the bus or get picked up by parents who drive in and out of the area as fast as possible. Those creative type, high school kids can drive and would appreciate and frequent many of the downtown businesses and ammenities after school and in the evening after arts functions and shows. I wouldn't want to see a school spread out on a large piece of land but what about a multi story building or better yet reuse a couple of the already empty buildings downtown. They already use the Times Union Center for their big extravaganza each year and maybe they could partner with other venues like the Florida Theater. Just an idea, any thoughts?

[mtraininjax]

Another missed opportunity.

Get in line, Peyton is an idiot, he has no legacy and is know more for his inaction, than action. SCAD is not realistic downtown in Jax. No one comes downtown after dark, Savannah has downtown people, restaurants, we have a few restaurants who are not appreciated by the 32223 snobs.