ABA Standards

In September 2008, the Council of the Section of the Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar began a comprehensive review of the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for the Approval of Law Schools. Since 1952, the Department of Education has recognized the ABA Council as the national agency for the accreditation of programs leading to the first professional degree in law. During this review, required of all agencies approved by the United States Department of Education, the Council instructed the Standards Review Committee to specifically address three special committee reports (terms and conditions of employment, student learning outcomes, and transparency of the accreditation policies and processes). These reports suggest changes in the standards that will greatly impact legal education generally and the design of legal writing programs particularly. For example, a shift from traditional input standards to a student learning outcomes standard may impact the staffing and course content of legal writing classes. To see all the submissions and reports of the Standards Review Committee please click here.