In the US, law schools are accredited by the American Bar Assn. Not so in the PH, where the Supreme Court, the Board of Legal Education, and the Commission on Higher Education supervise law schools.
"x x x.
The ABA Task Force on the Future of Legal Education released its draft report and recommendations (pdf) today. Here are the highlights, from the Key Conclusions section:
- Tuition pricing and funding practices favor high LSAT/GPA students, so that those with the weakest credentials graduate with the highest debt load, effectively subsidizing the higher-credentialed students. Students with weaker credentials are (obviously) more likely to have trouble paying off their higher debt loads.
- The ABA accreditation process "reinforces a far higher level of standardization in legal education than is necessary to turn out capable lawyers."
- The ABA ought to facilitate innovation and experimentation.
- It's time to prepare students to practice law, not just deliver "doctrinal instruction."
- The ABA wants to "devise new or improved frameworks for licensing providers of legal services. This should include licensing persons other than holders of a J.D. to deliver limited legal services …."
- x x x."
