February 2025 marked a great achievement for University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law as five Master of Law (LLM) students successfully passed the New York Bar Exam on their first attempt. The five alumni who passed include Yakup Altun ’24, Dariia Zhestovskaia ’24, Natalia Spiridonova ’24, Maryam Soroush ’24, and Camila Moreira ’24, hailing from Russia, Turkey, Iran, and Brazil. Their success demonstrates their talent, hard work and the excellent education they received at McGeorge.

"Sometimes, taking the leap matters more than being 100 percent ready. It’s about having the courage to try — and having the right people in your corner,” Altun said, reflecting on his journey.

The New York Bar Exam is known for its rigorous standards, with an overall pass rate of 57 percent for first-time test takers. The February 2025 New York Bar’s pass rate was 39 percent overall.

Many international LLM students choose to take a bar exam in the United States, with the California and New York bars being the most popular choices. McGeorge School of Law offers extensive support and mentoring for those pursuing this route. LLM graduates have access to the law school’s excellent Academic Support and Bar Pass Programs, which include bar exam workshops, individualized tutoring, practice exams, and other resources to help develop the skills and knowledge necessary to pass the bar exam.

Professor Lindsay Harrington ‘03 is the director of the McGeorge Bar Support program. She offers students individualized bar support counseling with a focus on mindset and wellness.

McGeorge also offers bar-focused courses to ensure that all students, LLM and JD, receive comprehensive preparation for the bar exam, covering critical reading skills, issue identification, answer organization, and substantive law.

“My time at McGeorge played a big role in my success... the critical thinking and analytical skills I learned at McGeorge made it much easier. McGeorge gave me a solid foundation in legal writing, reasoning, and analysis — skills that really helped on the bar exam. The Professors didn’t just teach us the law; they pushed us to think deeply and critically, which prepared us well for the tough bar exam questions,” Soroush said.

McGeorge graduates also benefit from the Bar Exam Advantage Training (BEAT) program, a free supplemental bar review program offered after graduation. BEAT provides opportunities for simulated practice, written feedback, and individual counseling, complementing commercial bar review courses. For those not participating in BEAT, the Extra Feedback Program (EFP) offers detailed, individualized feedback on practice exams, ensuring flexibility and support for all alumni.

“I loved it [the BEAT program] — it helped a lot with time management, writing, and mental support,” Spiridonova said.

McGeorge School of Law also achieved the highest bar pass rate in California for the February 2024 bar exam among ABA-accredited law schools, with nearly 65 percent of test takers passing the exam on their first try.

“I believe the supportive environment at McGeorge, where students are encouraged to ask questions, is one of the reasons its graduates succeed. I took and passed the California Bar Exam on my first attempt while still studying at McGeorge, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have been part of such a great community during that challenging time,” Zhestovskaia said.