Mission Statement
The Office of Academic Achievement and Bar Success (AABS) empowers law students from all backgrounds to achieve their fullest academic and professional potential through innovative instruction, personalized support, and evidence-based learning strategies. We cultivate a culture of excellence by integrating learning science, mentorship, and proactive engagement to strengthen legal knowledge, critical thinking, and professional skills. From the first day of law school through bar exam preparation, AABS serves as a trusted partner guiding students toward confidence, competence, and long-term success in the legal profession.
Within the law school experience, AABS provides individualized academic mentoring, skills coaching, and holistic advising designed to foster intellectual growth and professional confidence. Our team works closely with students to navigate rigorous coursework, refine study and exam strategies, and develop the analytical, reasoning, and communication skills required for the practice of law. Through one-on-one counseling, collaborative workshops, and structured academic programming, we identify each student’s strengths and challenges to create personalized paths for achievement. AABS also promotes well-being and resilience, encouraging a growth mindset that supports sustained success from the classroom to the courtroom.
Our comprehensive bar preparation program extends this commitment by providing targeted, high-impact support throughout a student’s final year and post-graduation bar study period. AABS offers individualized bar coaching, doctrinal mastery sessions focused on the black letter law, and skill-building workshops emphasizing essay writing, multiple-choice strategy, and performance test mastery. Signature programs such as Work-on-it Wednesdays and Score More Saturdays provide alumni with structured opportunities to review core subjects, complete practice assessments, and receive immediate feedback from experienced instructors. Through these interactive sessions, along with simulated exams, progress tracking, and one-on-one conferences, AABS ensures that graduates build not only exam readiness but also enduring professional resilience and confidence in their legal competence, supporting their career goals and aspirations.
AABS Core Missions
- Academic Excellence: Equip students with the strategies, habits, and analytical skills necessary to excel academically and professionally.
- Bar Exam Preparedness: Deliver a robust, data-driven bar preparation program that includes individualized coaching, doctrinal review, and structured workshops such as Work-on-it Wednesdays and Score More Saturdays to strengthen mastery of the black letter law and enhance test-taking strategies.
- Inclusive Success: Foster an environment that values diversity and supports students from all backgrounds and learning styles in achieving their goals.
- Learning Science Integration: Apply proven principles of cognitive and educational science to improve learning efficiency, long-term retention, and performance.
- Collaborative Engagement: Partner with faculty, staff, alumni, and institutional leaders to coordinate academic and bar success initiatives aligned with curricular aims and institutional goals.
- Professional Readiness: Develop the mindset, discipline, and resilience essential for success as practicing attorneys and lifelong learners committed to excellence.
- Data Analytics Driven: Identify key metrics, track performance, and utilize data to make informed decisions that lead to improved student and alumni outcomes consistently over time.
Contact us at aabs@johnmarshall.edu
Academic Achievement
Law school is an endeavor like no other, and AJMLS is committed to ensuring that students are provided with the resources and instruction necessary to build a solid legal foundation. Beginning during orientation, AABS is actively involved in helping students develop the required skills and habits to perform well during law school and beyond. The Academic Lab programming kicks off during orientation and continues throughout the first semester, focusing on developing critical skills and methods to engage with doctrinal courses designed to enhance exam performance. In addition, the second semester provides first-year law students with the opportunity to participate in Legal Methods, further refining and reinforcing skills developed during Academic Lab.
Bar Success Programming During Law School
Although most students will spend significant time preparing for the bar exam after graduation, AJMLS students are provided a unique advantage by jumpstarting their bar preparation through a variety of workshops designed to provide helpful insights, develop impactful study strategies, and increase confidence. Additionally, to further support future successful outcomes on the bar exam, the following specialized course offerings based on learning theory and data analytics are offered to students during their second and third years of study. The AABS website is also filled with helpful resources and information to provide students with direction and guidance.
Mastering Legal Principles (‘MLP I/II’)
The “Mastering” series is a set of three courses beginning in the second full-time (or third part-time) year of study designed to enhance student success outcomes on the bar exam. The courses, MLP I and MLP II, provide skill-building, strategies, and opportunities to engage in an intensive review of heavily tested bar exam subjects. Students will apply, practice, and assess the skills learned and legal concepts reviewed by engaging in simulations of the various components of the Multistate Bar Exam (‘MBE’) and through practice essays. Students will gain exposure to and practice with each subject tested on the MBE through Mastering Legal Principles I and II.
Mastering Legal Skills (MLS)
MLS introduces third-year students to the Multistate Performance Test (‘MPT’), a component of the Georgia bar exam and the vast majority of bar exams in other jurisdictions. Through this course, students actively enhance, enrich, and develop analytical skills through multiple assessments, exercises, and formative feedback. Students will receive instruction and practical guidance with regard to improving their individual MPT performances, along with reviewing and discussing strategies to achieve overall success on the written components of bar exams.
Bar Success Programming After Law School
After graduation, alumni are invited to participate in the Bar Success Program. The supplemental bar success program is not intended to be a substitute for a commercial bar review but rather is intended to be an added benefit and support program for alumni sitting and preparing for the upcoming bar exam. The program focuses on engagement, opportunities for improvement, and individual development through a series of panels and workshops, one-on-one coaching with a bar review coach from the AABS team, small group discussions, and experienced guidance in utilizing best practices to achieve success. In addition, AABS provides students with opportunities to engage with alumni who have recently achieved success on the bar exam. This coordinated approach with various institutional resources and a strong partnership with commercial bar review ensures that our alumni are in the best position to experience success on the bar exam.
Bar To Do Checklist
___ Research Bar Exam Information from State Bar Website
___ Review application and fees
___ Gather required application documentation
___ Calendar important deadlines
___ Fill out a petition to graduate form with the Registrar’s Office
___ Submit your Character & Fitness Application
___ Take and pass the MPRE
| Team | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scot Goins | Associate Dean of Academic Achievement, Bar Success, and Data Analytics Associate Professor of Legal Practice | sgoins@johnmarshall.edu | (678) 916-2652 |
| Jeanette Holmes | Associate Professor of Legal Practice | jholmes@johnmarshall.edu | |
| Sharon Phillips-Biondini | Assistant Professor of Legal Practice | sphillips@johnmarshall.edu | (678) 916-2648 |
| Nicholas Smith | Assistant Professor of Legal Practice and Assistant Director of Academic Achievement and Bar Success | nsmith@johnmarshall.edu | (678) 916-2635 |