BRISTLING WITH ENERGY:
EXCITING TIMES AT UND LAW
them the confidence and inspiration they can
use to succeed,” said Brad Parrish, assistant
dean for Student Services.
MICHAEL S. MCGINNISS
Dean, University of North Dakota
School of Law
The Fall 2019 semester at the University of
North Dakota (UND) School of Law has
been one marked with great excitement and
encouraging progress in meeting the goals
we have set for leading our program of legal
education into a successful future. I am very
pleased to have this opportunity to update
our North Dakota bench and bar about
some key developments since my last Dean’s
column.
I. The Class of 2022
In August, we welcomed an eager and
diverse class of 84 first-year students for our
week-long orientation program. The Class
of 2022, which grew by 33 percent this year,
includes students representing 18 states,
Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba,
and Saskatchewan, and China. The new
students’ first event was a convocation and
pinning ceremony held at the Chester Fritz
Auditorium on campus. Keynote speaker
Justice Daniel Crothers of the North Dakota
Supreme Court offered an inspirational
welcome for the aspiring lawyers,
encouraging them to achieve academic
success. “Justice Crothers struck a great
balance between letting students know how
challenging law school will be, and giving
18
THE GAVEL
Each student crossed the stage and received a
special pin to commemorate his or her future
graduation class and finished the program
by taking the UND School of Law Oath of
Professionalism. During the remainder of
orientation week, students learned about the
program of legal education, gained tips and
strategies for achieving academic success,
familiarized themselves with law school
resources, and began the first portion of their
Lawyering Skills class. “I am so delighted
about the strength and diversity of our
incoming class of students,” said Julia Ernst,
associate dean for Academic & Student
Affairs. “They bring a wealth of backgrounds
and experiences into our law school
community, so we look forward to working
together with them throughout the coming
months and years.”
II. Bar Passage and Academic Success
We were very excited by the excellent news
in September that 49 members of our
Class of 2019 passed the North Dakota bar
examination in their first attempt, at a rate of
84 percent. This was an increase from the 75
percent first-time North Dakota bar pass rate
in July 2018 and reflects the strong collective
efforts made by our faculty and staff
throughout our program of legal education
to enhance these students’ post-graduation
readiness for the bar exam. In recent years,
we have added policies and programs to
improve academic success and bar passage,
including a 2L intensive legal reading,
writing, and analysis course that is required
for students with performance factors in
their 1L year reflecting a need for additional
support. This year, after a competitive
proposal process, we have now established a
non-exclusive contractual relationship with
Themis Bar Review to provide our students
with a variety of resources and experiences
during law school to promote their future
success on the bar exam. These will include
(1) online and written materials and other
resources to enhance our currently offered
Spring 3L Reading and Writing for the Bar
Exam course; (2) a portal and database with
more than 1,800 Multistate Bar Examination
multiple-choice questions, with answers and
detailed explanations, to which all third-year
students will have access until their first bar
exam after graduation; and (3) a diagnostic
multiple-choice exam on bar topics covered
in our first-year courses, which will help us
identify areas in which to focus our efforts
to assist students with their learning and bar
exam readiness.
III. Symposium on Implicit Bias
in the Legal Profession
On Sept. 21, the UND School of Law hosted,
and jointly sponsored with the SBAND
Women Lawyers Section, a Symposium on
Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession. It was
a tremendous success. Nearly 100 attendees
visited with us to hear 14 excellent speakers
address a variety of challenges our legal
community faces in its efforts to promote
fairness and equity in our system of justice
and in our participation as members of the
legal profession.
IV. Challenge Grant
This past spring, the North Dakota
Legislature created a $250,000 challenge