Accreditation & Standards

139 ABA Journal Accreditation & Standards articles.

ABA legal ed section contemplates rule change in light of novel coronavirus

A proposal to change an ABA law school accreditation rule, which would allow for temporary relief in regional and national emergencies, is now being considered.

May 8, 2020 3:08 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Group wants bar passage standard delayed; Justice Ginsburg leaves hospital

Group asks for suspension of two-year bar passage standard for ABA-accredited law schools Citing the coronavirus pandemic, the Society of American Law Teachers has asked to suspend an ABA accreditation standard requiring law school bar passage rates be at least 75% within a two-year period. A letter with the request…

May 7, 2020 5:10 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Amazon GC’s leaked notes may lead to lawsuit; ABA legal ed section’s council seeks ideas

Amazon GC badmouthed protest organizer in leaked notes Amazon general counsel David Zapolsky badmouthed fired warehouse employee and protest organizer Christian Smalls, according to internal notes of a meeting leaked to Vice News. Zapolsky wrote in his meeting notes that Smalls is “not smart, or articulate, and to the extent…

Apr 7, 2020 4:52 PM CDT

Texas university remains out of compliance with admissions standards, ABA legal ed section finds

The ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has found that the embattled Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law remains out of compliance with a key admissions standard. The section council has also asked the school to appear at its May meeting as it determines "whether to impose sanctions, including removal of approval."

Mar 4, 2020 1:02 PM CST

Internal candidate is selected to lead the ABA’s legal ed section

William Adams, the deputy managing director of the ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, will replace Barry Currier as the organization's managing director of accreditation and legal education, starting April 6. Currier announced in summer 2019 that he would be stepping down from the position.

Mar 3, 2020 10:45 AM CST

Law schools see an increase in bar passage rates, new ABA data shows

The bar passage rate for first-time test-takers has increased by nearly 5 percentage points, according to data released Monday by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Feb 18, 2020 2:41 PM CST

Another law school seeks acquisition, after parent university announces closure plan

Concordia University School of Law, a Boise, Idaho, institution with new ABA accreditation, had a 100% bar passage rate for its class of 2016, but its future as of Monday is unknown, following the announcement that its parent school, the Concordia University campus in Portland, Oregon, is closing.

Feb 11, 2020 3:34 PM CST

Texas university moves to fire its president over law school admissions scandal

The president of Texas Southern University may be out of a job after TSU regents alleged that he failed to promptly report information about an admissions scandal at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law.

Feb 7, 2020 2:43 PM CST

Under teach-out plan, Thomas Jefferson law school has ABA accreditation for 3 more years

A teach-out plan for Thomas Jefferson School of Law, allowing limited accreditation until the end of the spring 2023 term, has been approved by the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Jan 13, 2020 11:43 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Harvey Weinstein threatened with jail for courtroom phone use; Supreme Court closes for weather

Judge threatens to jail Harvey Weinstein after he uses cellphone in court On Tuesday, a Manhattan judge threatened to jail former film producer Harvey Weinstein for using his cellphone in the courtroom where jurors will be picked for his rape trial. “Is this really the way you want to end…

Jan 7, 2020 2:58 PM CST

Atlanta’s John Marshall sees some success with ABA legal ed section

Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School has had its probation removed, and its application to convert to a nonprofit was accepted, according to notice posted by the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Dec 16, 2019 11:50 AM CST

ABA again says no to Florida Coastal’s nonprofit application and makes noncompliance finding

Florida Coastal School of Law is out of compliance with two sections of Standard 202, which deals with program resources, according to a public notice posted by the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Dec 13, 2019 2:46 PM CST

First-year class sizes for ABA-accredited law schools are slightly smaller in 2019

The total number of students at ABA-accredited law schools rose slightly this year. However, the number of first-year students decreased from 2018 to 2019, according to ABA data released Thursday.

Dec 12, 2019 3:29 PM CST

Law school found out of compliance with program resources standard; dean is ‘surprised by the finding’

The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law is out of compliance with three sections of Standard 202, which deals with program resources, according to a recent finding from the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Dec 11, 2019 2:48 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Barr sees ‘perfect storm of screw-ups’ in Epstein death; law school gives up ABA accreditation

AG Barr concludes Jeffrey Epstein’s death due to ‘perfect storm of screw-ups’ U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he initially had suspicions about multimillionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein’s jailhouse death, but he eventually concluded that the convicted sex offender died by suicide. Barr told the Associated Press that he reviewed security…

Nov 25, 2019 4:09 PM CST

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