It’s widely accepted that students won’t learn how to be lawyers just by virtue of attending law school, but the American Bar Association (ABA) is now cracking down on law schools to ensure students actually learn from their classes. The ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has recently adopted changes to its student learning outcomes accreditation standard. These changes will bring some uniformity to required classes and set “minimum learning outcomes” for all courses.
As noted by Reuters, the adopted changes also mandate that all first-year classes include one early assessment to give students feedback on their performance prior to the final exam. Further, academic support must be made available to any students “who fail to attain a satisfactory level of achievement.”
Additionally, outside of “extraordinary circumstances,” 80% of each first-year law student’s teachers must be full-time faculty members, ensuring that new students do not primarily have adjunct instructors. These measures aim to provide more help for students who may be struggling and an early warning system for those who might need additional academic assistance before the final exams.
However, not everyone is in favor. According to Above the Law, more than a third of law school deans (76 in total) oppose these new requirements, arguing that they “could harm legal education.” Despite this opposition, the ABA House of Delegates is set to approve the Council’s proposed changes at its next meeting in February. If the changes go through, the new learning outcomes standards for students will commence in 2026.