Law School Docket

The ABA is inventing new principles for law school accreditation, quietly abolishing others

Curricular flexibility is out, "the rule of law" is in

Sep 15 • 

Derek T. Muller

2

August 2025

How state bars could accredit law schools without the ABA or any other intermediary institution

It will not be an easy process, but there is a feasible path to accredit law schools as a condition for the bar exam

Aug 22 • 

Derek T. Muller

3

Could the National Center for State Courts supplant the American Bar Association for law school accreditation?

Accreditation as a condition for bar licensure could change dramatically with a little work from the state courts

Aug 12 • 

Derek T. Muller

2

On ABA accreditation: a proposal to increases costs at schools, which falls disproportionately on a handful

A new, expansive curriculum requirement would increase costs generally but burden a few schools the most

Aug 1 • 

Derek T. Muller

2

July 2025

On ABA accreditation: the Section proposes a major change to legal education without adequate evidence

Expensive new micromanagement of law school curriculum is not justified

Jul 31 • 

Derek T. Muller

2

On ABA accreditation: a formal policy against micromanagement of law school curriculum

The Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has long disclaimed interest in regulating the specifics of law school curriculum.

Jul 30 • 

Derek T. Muller

2

Will the new student loan law hobble some law schools' reliance on non-JD forms of revenue?

Law schools have increasingly relied on non-JD tuition in the last decade. Will limits on federal student loans disproportionately affect some schools?

Jul 7 • 

Derek T. Muller

1

1

June 2025

Law schools are unprepared for a likely coming cap on federal student loans

Previous loan-related costs for legal education have been mostly borne by students. Will the same hold true if federal student loans are capped?

Jun 25 • 

Derek T. Muller

3

What we know, and what we don't know, about legal education, accommodations, and extra time to take an exam

The Wall Street Journal’s opinion page recently featured a piece critical of Pepperdine’s accommodations practices with respect to additional time on…

Jun 13 • 

Derek T. Muller

1

May 2025

Projecting the 2026-2027 USNWR law school rankings (to be released around April 2026)

We can look at next year's trends with recently-released data

May 12 • 

Derek T. Muller

Ranking law school employment outcomes for the Class of 2024 using a Principal Component Analysis

A wide variety of employment outcomes can be simplified and offer a useful evaluation of law schools

May 8 • 

Derek T. Muller

1

April 2025

Overall legal employment for the Class of 2024 improves slightly, with large law firm and public interest placement growing

The best employment year for recent law school graduates in at least the last decade

Apr 24 • 

Derek T. Muller