Colorado Supreme Court
Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel
Promoting Professionalism. Protecting the Public.
Welcome new attorneys!
Most of
the 583 people who passed the July bar exam took the oath of admission during a October ceremony.
By JAMES CARLSON
Retired Colorado Supreme Court
Justice Gregory J. Hobbs exhorted more than 500 new attorneys at the Admissions
Ceremony in October to continue the "incremental work" of justice.
"Step outside yourself and
walk in the shoes" of your client, Justice Hobbs told the crowd of recent
graduates and their family members who gathered at the Boettcher Concert Hall.
Justice Hobbs quoted Bob Dylan,
Lord Tennyson and Abe Lincoln in a passionate keynote speech about the rule of
law, the judicial system and the incoming attorneys' role in protecting and
improving both.
Chief Justice Nancy Rice
introduced Hobbs, as well as fellow speakers -- Chief Judge Marcia S. Krieger
of the U.S. District Court for Colorado, and Patricia Jarzobski,
president of the Colorado Bar Association.
Examinees in Colorado continued
the trend of outperforming test-takers in other states. In all, 877 people sat
for the July bar exam and 583 passed. Despite Colorado requiring a higher score
than most states, its 73 percent passage rate is above the national average.
A
downward trend in MBE scores across the country has stirred a national debate
over whether the root cause is due to the quality of students entering law
school or due to the difficulty of the exam itself.
The
Office of Attorney Regulation’s website contains a full breakdown of the
Colorado pass rates.
James Carlson is the
Information Resources Coordinator for the Office of Attorney Regulation
Counsel.