Purdue University Global Law School Celebrates First Graduates’ Admission to the Indiana Bar
INDIANAPOLIS – Purdue University Global Law School marked a significant milestone on Tuesday with the graduation and admission of its first cohort of five attorneys, an event attended by all justices of the Indiana Supreme Court. The ceremony at the Indiana Roof Ballroom also welcomed 68 new lawyers overall, highlighting a vital step in Indiana’s legal system reform.
The recent amendment to Indiana’s Rules of Admission and Discipline Rule 13 allowed graduates from non-American Bar Association-accredited online law schools, like Purdue Global, to take the state bar exam. This pivotal change aims to bridge the justice gap in Indiana’s underserved areas, where a shortage of legal professionals has been identified. Currently, only 19,055 attorneys serve the state’s 6.8 million residents.
Notably, all five graduates—Joud Elias, Lindley Jarrett, Jeff Kraft, Daniel Stahoviak, and Abby Strehle—successfully passed the February Indiana Bar Exam on their first attempt, surpassing the state’s overall pass rate of 63%. Strehle, a nurse practitioner and mother, is particularly excited about her dual licensure in Indiana and California, empowering her to leverage her healthcare experience in her legal practice.
Martin Pritikin, Dean of Purdue Global Law School, hailed the event as a transformative moment for access to justice, citing the school’s commitment to making legal education more accessible and affordable for nontraditional and working students. Operated online since 1998, the law school emphasizes a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for real-world practice.
With 78 students currently enrolled from various Indiana locations, Purdue Global Law School hopes to continue contributing to the legal profession, particularly in rural and small-town areas, facilitating better accessibility to legal services across the state.
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