The process for approving ABA accredited law schools

by Cynthia Taylor

For a law school to be accredited by the ABA not only does it need to go through the stringent process of applying the 150 page document to its own layout and structure; but, it also needs to submit an application for approval to the American Bar Association to become one of the countries ABA accredited law schools.

The application not only takes into consideration the size of the school and in particular the library, but also the ratio of students to professors. Regarding professors their employment also needs ABA approval. They need to have the correct quality of experience and the more experience the better.

The American Bar Association approves just about everything at these law schools, including curriculum and prescribed books.

The ABA was set up as a means to maintain the standards and high qualities of the profession. In US history the law profession has been brought into disrepute through corruption and deceit.

The American Bar Association has moved away from encouraging ABA accredited law schools to teach doctrines where students are able to recite law. Instead they are focusing more on applying the law theory to the facts or to a specific case. In this way more of the accredited schools are offering practical courses to improve these skills. It is interesting to note that much of the application of law even in well seasoned attorneys is based on research.

This change in the educational approach has led to a new perspective for the accreditation of law schools. As opposed to focusing on size and financial resources the ABA is looking at the quality of lawyers that the law school has historically produced with the standard curriculum applied at the law school, at the same time maintaining the high standards they are still looking to improve.