This month, the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar’s Council decided to step back from plans to move forward this August with the proposal to eliminate the Law School Admission Test requirement, after getting letters with concerns from multiple law school deans.
The ABA House of Delegates rejected a resolution to remove the admission exam requirement from Standard 503 in February, and the council decided less than two weeks later to bring the idea again in August at the 2023 ABA Annual Meeting.
Many have spoken in favor of the proposal believing it would help diversity in legal education. Many others believe that the proposal would actually hurt diversity.
A letter from April, signed by 14 women of color who manage ABA-accredited law schools, said that data does not support the notion that eliminating the admissions test requirement will enhance diversity in the profession.
Another letter from deans proposed revising Standard 503 to indicate that law schools admit no more than 25% of an entering class without an entrance exam, rather than eliminating the requirement entirely. Furthermore, the letter requested that the effectiveness of the adjustment be examined after six years to ensure that the move did not negatively impact law students and graduates. More than 100 law school deans signed on to it.
Proposed amendments to law school accrediting criteria and policies are sent to the House of Delegates for concurrence up to two times under ABA rules but the council has the final say on decisions pertaining to law school education. For now, the council is waiting to put forward more thoughts and research.
