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Deans, legislation college associations oppose Texas proposal to finish ABA accreditation
By Julianne Hill
July 10, 2025, 9:26 am CDT
Deans from eight of Texas legislation colleges—together with leaders of the American Affiliation of Regulation Faculties, the Regulation Faculty Admission Council, the AccessLex Institute and the Nationwide Affiliation of Regulation Placement—oppose ending Texas’ requirement that bar examination takers graduate from an ABA-accredited legislation college. (Picture from Shutterstock)
Deans from eight of Texas legislation colleges—together with leaders of the American Affiliation of Regulation Faculties, the Regulation Faculty Admission Council, the AccessLex Institute and the Nationwide Affiliation of Regulation Placement—oppose ending Texas’ requirement that bar examination takers graduate from an ABA-accredited legislation college, in keeping with responses to the Texas Supreme Court docket obtained by the ABA Journal.
“Eradicating the ABA accreditation acknowledged by each different state will impair the power of Texas legislation graduates to safe employment exterior of Texas, decrease Texas legislation colleges’ general employment charges and hurt Texas legislation colleges’ nationwide reputations,” the letter submitted by the eight deans states. It provides that Texas legislation colleges will battle to draw high-caliber college students, in the end harming these legislation colleges’ reputations.
Leaders on the College of Houston Regulation Middle, Texas Southern College, Baylor College Regulation Faculty, UNT Dallas School of Regulation, SMU Dedman Faculty of Regulation, Texas Tech College Faculty of Regulation, South Texas School of Regulation Houston and St. Mary’s College Faculty of Regulation signed the letter.
With “restricted exceptions,” the present guidelines governing admission to the state bar require commencement from a legislation college authorized by the ABA, in keeping with courtroom paperwork.
As well as, a 10-page letter signed by Jennifer Rosato Perea, managing director for accreditation and authorized training on the ABA’s council of the Part of Authorized Training and Admissions to the Bar, and David A. Brennen, the council chair, reiterates the necessity for a nationwide accreditor to insure portability of legislation levels and high-quality nationwide requirements for legislation colleges and college students.
“The council welcomes this chance to clarify the scope and worth of its work and the significance of retaining the council because the accreditor for Texas legislation colleges to make sure a nationwide accreditation system with moveable legislation levels that profit all,” the letter concludes.
In line with the Nationwide Affiliation of Authorized Placement’s 2023 information of Texas Entry-Degree Regulation Graduate Employment, 88% of Texas legislation college graduates who reported their job location remained in Texas; 12% didn’t.
The ABA council, a separate and impartial entity from the bar affiliation, is acknowledged by the Division of Training as the only accrediting physique for U.S. legislation colleges. It has served as Texas’ sole accreditor since 1983.
Total, the whole variety of feedback obtained have been almost cut up down the center, with 65 responses in favor of preserving the council in place as the only accreditor and 68 opposed and/or suggesting further alternate options within the 392 pages of responses.
These against persevering with present accreditation strategies embrace Robert Chesney, dean of the College of Texas Austin Faculty of Regulation, the state’s largest legislation college. He inspired the courtroom to think about different accreditors together with the ABA or to grant exceptions to the ABA, in keeping with his letter.
“Maybe it’s time to re-open the door, a minimum of a bit, to progressive alternate options,” he wrote.
Texas checks the third largest variety of bar candidates, in keeping with Nationwide Convention of Bar Examiner statistics.
Texas Supreme Court docket request for feedback adopted the Trump administration’s government orders taking intention at larger training accreditors—particularly referencing the council— and mandating the dismantling of range, fairness and inclusion efforts or threat federal funding cuts. The council suspended Normal 206, targeted on DEI, till Aug. 31, 2026. In March, Florida fashioned a working group to think about if a JD from an ABA accredited legislation college would proceed to be a bar examination requirement.
Most states require candidates to the state bar to be graduates of an ABA-accredited legislation college.
California is an exception, and its information shouldn’t be promising. California’s July 2024 bar examination outcomes present the state’s ABA-accredited legislation colleges have a move charge at 72.9%. At state—accredited colleges that aren’t nationally accredited, it was 24% and 13% at unaccredited colleges.
“Knowledge demonstrates that non-ABA accredited colleges constantly have decrease bar move charges, poorer employment outcomes and better attrition than their accredited counterparts,” Patricia Roberts, St. Mary’s College Faculty of Regulation dean, wrote to the ABA Journal.
Texas deans are additionally involved that legislation colleges would find yourself paying for the method of constructing an accreditation course of from scratch and creating new applications.
“That value would doubtless be shifted partly to the legislation colleges requiring accreditation,” Roberts provides. “Texas legislation colleges may additionally must develop separate tracks for college students planning to observe solely in Texas versus these wanting nationwide mobility.”
And creating a brand new accreditation system would take time, says Jeff Rensberger, interim dean on the South Texas School of Regulation Houston, whose time period expired July 1. “They must stand up to hurry,” he says.
“I’m reminded somewhat little bit of the experiment California had simply performed with creating their very own bar examination,” which had disastrous logistical and technical points, he provides.
He famous that nationwide accreditation is tied to necessities for receiving federal scholar mortgage funding.
“No legislation college can simply stroll away from that,” Rensberger says, and a few would possibly intention for each the state and ABA accreditation. Twin rules might create further burdens and probably conflicting requirements, he provides, and “it makes it extra expensive to function as a faculty.”
See additionally:
After Texas chief justice criticizes ABA, state supreme courtroom reconsiders ABA accreditation for legislation colleges
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