The Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) recently announced the appointment of 15 members to a working group focused on law school accreditation. The group operates under the Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR), a standing committee of both conferences.
The working group is part of a broader effort by state court leaders to examine how legal education and licensure systems can better serve the public and help address the nation's justice gap. Among other issues, the group will consider how accreditation standards can support innovation, experimentation and cost-effective models of legal education while maintaining rigorous standards for the preparation of lawyers.
The accreditation working group will be chaired by Justice C. Shannon Bacon of the New Mexico Supreme Court, who serves as vice chair of CLEAR.
"We are excited to have assembled a thoughtful, distinguished and diverse group of national leaders for this working group," said Bacon. "These appointments help ensure that we will collect an array of viewpoints."
The 15 members come from the courts, academia, and the private practice of law:
• Dean Anna E. Carpenter, University of Oklahoma College of Law
• Dean Todd J. Clark, Widener University Delaware Law School
• Justice John D. Couriel, Florida Supreme Court
• Zack DeMeola , Law School Admission Council
• Henry M. Greenberg , Greenberg Traurig LLP
• Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy , Supreme Court of Ohio
• Justice Melissa A. Long, Rhode Island Supreme Court
• Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, Washington Supreme Court
• Professor Derek T. Muller, University of Notre Dame Law School
• Justice Karl C. Procaccini, Minnesota Supreme Court
• Dean Patricia Roberts, St. Mary's University School of Law
• Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford, Supreme Court of Illinois
• Justice Stephanie F. Stacy, Nebraska Supreme Court
• Justice Lidia S. Stiglich, Supreme Court of Nevada
• Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer, Arizona Supreme Court
The working group will examine accreditation frameworks and consider recommendations that promote high-quality legal education while encouraging new approaches that expand pathways into the profession and improve access to legal services. The group will also consider how accreditation systems can remain consistent, stable, and nationally uniform while ensuring that state supreme courts — which ultimately license and regulate lawyers — have meaningful input into the standards shaping legal education.
The working group will submit a draft report with findings and recommendations to the CLEAR Committee by December 2026.
Interested parties wishing to submit feedback, ideas and perspectives on law school accreditation are encouraged to email clear@ncsc.org.
CLEAR's charge is to assess how legal education and licensure practices can address the justice gap crisis and strengthen public trust and confidence in the legal profession.
CLEAR's July 2025 report is available at ncsc.org/CLEAR.
The working group is part of a broader effort by state court leaders to examine how legal education and licensure systems can better serve the public and help address the nation's justice gap. Among other issues, the group will consider how accreditation standards can support innovation, experimentation and cost-effective models of legal education while maintaining rigorous standards for the preparation of lawyers.
The accreditation working group will be chaired by Justice C. Shannon Bacon of the New Mexico Supreme Court, who serves as vice chair of CLEAR.
"We are excited to have assembled a thoughtful, distinguished and diverse group of national leaders for this working group," said Bacon. "These appointments help ensure that we will collect an array of viewpoints."
The 15 members come from the courts, academia, and the private practice of law:
• Dean Anna E. Carpenter, University of Oklahoma College of Law
• Dean Todd J. Clark, Widener University Delaware Law School
• Justice John D. Couriel, Florida Supreme Court
• Zack DeMeola , Law School Admission Council
• Henry M. Greenberg , Greenberg Traurig LLP
• Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy , Supreme Court of Ohio
• Justice Melissa A. Long, Rhode Island Supreme Court
• Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis, Washington Supreme Court
• Professor Derek T. Muller, University of Notre Dame Law School
• Justice Karl C. Procaccini, Minnesota Supreme Court
• Dean Patricia Roberts, St. Mary's University School of Law
• Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford, Supreme Court of Illinois
• Justice Stephanie F. Stacy, Nebraska Supreme Court
• Justice Lidia S. Stiglich, Supreme Court of Nevada
• Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer, Arizona Supreme Court
The working group will examine accreditation frameworks and consider recommendations that promote high-quality legal education while encouraging new approaches that expand pathways into the profession and improve access to legal services. The group will also consider how accreditation systems can remain consistent, stable, and nationally uniform while ensuring that state supreme courts — which ultimately license and regulate lawyers — have meaningful input into the standards shaping legal education.
The working group will submit a draft report with findings and recommendations to the CLEAR Committee by December 2026.
Interested parties wishing to submit feedback, ideas and perspectives on law school accreditation are encouraged to email clear@ncsc.org.
CLEAR's charge is to assess how legal education and licensure practices can address the justice gap crisis and strengthen public trust and confidence in the legal profession.
CLEAR's July 2025 report is available at ncsc.org/CLEAR.
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