Message from Dean Jackson

Hello, Washburn Law Alumni and Community,

Exciting things are taking place at the Law School as we quickly approach the holiday season and the subsequent end of another semester. My first semester as interim dean was filled with excitement as we eagerly anticipate the completion of the new law building. However, there have been other exciting things happening as well!

One of the projects I am most excited to implement is the new Bar Pass Program. Through this project, we will purchase a Bar Pass program from BarBri for each of the current 3L students, and each of the current LL.M. students who will be taking a bar exam in the United States. We currently have 112 students in this category. In addition, we will be purchasing four semesters of Bar Pass program payments for the 98 2L students, and two semesters of payments for the 91 1L students. Going forward, the Bar Pass program expenditures will be paid by a fee in the amount of $417 per semester assessed on all law school tuition.

The benefits of this new program cannot be understated. Beyond the initial investment, it will allow students to pay for the Bar Pass program in installments as a part of their estimated cost of attendance, which can be included in their student loan amounts. As it sits currently, students are required to pay the full cost of the Bar Pass program at the end of their 3L year in one lump sum. This has caused financial stress for many students, who must either find a way to budget for this expense, hope that the expense will be paid for by prospective employers, take out a loan to meet the expense, or perhaps forego taking a Bar Pass program at all. In addition, the use of BarBri as an institutional partner will enable us to receive a substantial discount. Instead of the $3,200 regular price, Washburn students’ payments will only be $2,550. As you know, BarBri is the recognized leading program, and the most used by Washburn students.

We are excited to bring this advantage to our students. While the latest pass rates were good, we believe that this partnership with BarBri will further equip our students for bar exam success, and allow them to realize their dream of practicing law. I hope to be announcing even greater success in the future.

In addition to this exciting news, we had a lot to celebrate this fall. On October 15, 2022, we held our annual Law Alumni Awards. This year we had seven award recipients and their families who joined us for a wonderful evening celebrating their achievements. Congratulations again to Whitney L. Casement, Joslyn M. Kusiak, Glenda Cafer, the Michaud Family, The Honorable Dan Biles, The Honorable Stephen D. Hill, and Wendell F. "Bud" Cowan, Jr. on each of your respective awards. They are well-deserved.

The excitement on campus is palpable and I'm excited for what the future holds. As always, if you have questions, please reach out to me. This is your law school and I'm always happy to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Jeff

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