Cooley Law School found in compliance after short probation period
Cooley Law School has been found in compliance by the American Bar Association Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admission to Bar (the Council) following a brief probationary period invoked in September. Following recent nationwide bar exam results, the law school is now in compliance with Standard 316, which states that 75 percent of ABA-approved law graduates who take the bar examination must pass within two years of graduation.
During the Council’s August 2025 meeting, Cooley Law School President and Dean James McGrath testified that over 75 percent of Cooley's 2024 graduates who have taken a bar examination had passed. At that time, the Council did not agree that Cooley was in compliance with Standard 316 because results were not yet known for a small number of 2024 graduates who did not take a bar examination before July 2025.
During the meeting McGrath testified, “while we cannot predict the future, Cooley is confident that when the nationwide results of the July 2025 bar examination are known, Cooley will be able to definitively prove compliance with Standard 316.”
During their meeting that took place Nov. 13-14, the council found Cooley Law School is in compliance with Standard 316 and no longer on probation.
“I am pleased to report that 76.2 percent of Cooley’s 2024 graduates who have taken a bar examination within two years of graduating have passed, putting us in compliance,” said McGrath. “Cooley Law School is a trusted institution where law students are empowered to become future-ready leaders who think critically, communicate effectively and are well equipped to navigate and make an immediate impact in today’s complex and ever-changing legal landscape.”
In recent years, Cooley has taken steps to right size the law school while maintaining its mission of access to a legal education with a goal of developing confident and future-ready attorneys. Since its founding, Cooley has offered legal education opportunities for diverse populations, including those who want to attend law school but need flexible night or weekend scheduling to accommodate their schedule.
“As we look ahead, Cooley Law School remains committed to its founding principles and continues to take steps toward boldly transforming legal education,” said Mitchell Zajac, who chairs the law school’s board of directors. “Cooley is preparing future-ready lawyers through enhanced teaching and learning practices, expansive experiential learning opportunities, and by providing programs to ensure that a legal education remains affordable and accessible to all those who commit themselves to achieving ambitious standards of professional excellence.
“We have high quality faculty who have practical legal experience and are scholars in the academic areas they teach,” Zajac added. “Students have opportunities to work in law firms and have access to simulated practice experiences earlier in their school career, even more so than other law schools.”