Stating that the system of legal education in the United States is widely admired around the world but faces serious challenges, according to the American Bar Association Task Force on the Future of Legal Education.
The panel this week issued a draft report with recommendations, one of which called for changes in the pricing of legal education.
Other recommendations involved liberalizing or eliminating certain accreditation standards, and speeding the pace of innovation and practical-skills training at law schools.
The draft also calls on courts and bar association officials to devise new frameworks for licensing legal service providers.
“The task force believes that if the participants in legal education continue to act in good faith on the recommendations presented here, with an appreciation of the urgency of coordinated change, significant benefits for students, society, and the system of legal education can be brought about quickly, and a foundation can be established for continuous adaptation and improvement,” the draft report states.
The panel is soliciting public comment on the draft that will help the panel prepare a final report for consideration by the ABA House of Delegates. Neither the draft report nor the final report represents the policy or positions of the ABA.
“While the task force is not finished with its work, this draft report represents our effort thus far to formulate solid proposals to ensure that legal education in the United States remains viable in light of substantial economic and structural changes,” said Randall T. Shepard, former chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, who is charing the task force
ABA President James R. Silkenat said legal education in the United States “is the best in the world, but it must continue to evolve to match the rapid changes that are taking place in legal practice in the United States.”
He said the report “was informed by a thoroughly open process, which is important, given the gravity and complexity of the issues.
“Thanks to the task force’s work,” he said, “the legal community will be able to have a full, engaged discussion with all stakeholders concerning the future of legal education. This is a topic that is critical to our profession and essential to the delivery of legal services in the United States.”
The panel was commissioned in July 2012 by then-ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III and supported by ABA leadership, including Silkenat and Immediate Past President Laurel G. Bellows.
To prepare the draft report and recommendations, the task force reviewed literature on problems and solutions. It met throughout the year to review and test potential solutions, accelerating its original timetable in light of the seriousness of the developing challenges to legal education in the United States.
The task force solicited written comments from interested parties starting last September, held two public hearings and conducted a webcasted mini-conference in April to which various knowledgeable parties were invited to share information and perspectives.
In addition, the task force chair met with the leadership of the Association of American Law Schools and conducted a forum for deans of ABA-approved law schools.
The chair and other Task Force members held forums at the annual meeting of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the Conference of Chief Justices.
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