by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Florida Coastal School of Law probably couldn’t have picked a better time to host its annual Career Day.
The results of the February Florida Bar exam have been released, and, once again, FCSL held its own against the state’s more-established schools.
“We’re right at the state’s pass rate,” said Dean Peter Goplerud. “Our pass rate trailed only the University of Miami, University of Florida and Florida State, which I think is a tremendous tribute to our students, their hard work and the hard work of our faculty and staff.”
The state pass rate is just above 74 percent.
Nearly 100 FCSL students met with a like number of local judges and attorneys at the meet-and-greet, held Wednesday at The University Club.
Though designed purely as a social event, contacts among students and practicing attorneys can lead to job offers.
“This is a great opportunity for the students and members of the Bar to get to know one another,” said Goplerud. “And it’s a great opportunity for you members of the Bar, distinguished law firms, law partners and judges to get to know a little bit more about what we’re doing at Florida Coastal.”
Goplerud, who has been at the school a little more than two months, has served as dean at three other law schools — the University of Oklahoma at Norman, Southern Illinois University and Drake University.
Since he is a recent arrival, “I’m completely out of the loop as far as any credit (for the Bar exam results) and always will be out of the loop for any credit for that,” he said. It is the students, our faculty and staff who are the key for that.”
There are 10 law schools in Florida, four public and six private.
When results were published for the February exam, FCSL learned it had been bested only by the University of Florida. With a 79.2 percent pass rate, the scores were 3 percentage points above the state average.
Goplerud said he preferred not to get too carried away comparing his school’s performance with that at other schools.
“Obviously, we’d like to have the best record in the state,” he said. “Hopefully, one day we will.”
The school, founded in 1996, also is continuing its impressive overall growth, Goplerud said.
There are 40 full-time faculty members to instruct a student body that now totals more than 900 students. The entering class of nearly 400 students is also “the strongest academically we’ve had in the history of the school,” he said.
Donald Jones, dean of students at FCSL, said that Career Day “is demonstrative of the marriage of the law school with this community. We’re hoping for the best for our students.
“We’re also hoping something good and constructive will come of the social time. If nothing concrete does come of this, we’ll be sad. But we’ll be better off because you know each other.”
Introductions were made by Michael Orr, president of the Student Bar Association for the second year.
Two awards were presented during the social by Jarrod Turner, president of the FCSL Alumni Association.
The inaugural Public Employer of the Year Award was presented to the Public Defender’s Office, which has hired 16 Florida Coastal graduates. Al Chipperfield accepted on behalf of Public Defender Lou Frost.
The inaugural Private Employer of the Year Award went to the Intrepid Law Group, which is made up of two firms: Driver, McAfee & Griggs, and Camerlengo & Brockwell.
Joe Camerlengo told the audience that his firm has hired five FCSL graduates and 10 legal interns over time.