American Bar Association Standards require that each
new law school
seeking provisional approval provide the following
statement:
The Dean is fully informed as to the Standards and Rules
of Procedure
for the Approval of Law Schools by the ABA. The
Administration and
the Dean are determined to devote all necessary resources
and in
other respects to take all necessary steps to present a
program of
legal education that will qualify for approval by the ABA.
The Law
School makes no representation to any applicant that it will
be
approved by the ABA prior to the graduation of any
matriculating
student.
Elon intends to take all necessary steps to create an
outstanding
law school that will qualify for accreditation by the
American Bar
Association at the earliest possible date. The strategy is
to exceed
the ABA's primary requirements regarding resources,
faculty,
facilities, library, educational program and admissions.
Assembling
an outstanding law facility and library, hiring
well-qualified
faculty and staff, and creating a solid financial plan were
the most
important first steps toward meeting this goal.
Elon's founding dean and librarian successfully
guided
other law schools through the ABA accreditation process,
and
their experience and extensive knowledge of ABA
Standards
will be invaluable. The school's other faculty and
administrators
also have extensive experience at ABA-approved law
schools.
The ABA timeline will allow Elon to earn provisional
approval as
early as summer 2008. This will allow members of the
charter
class to graduate from an approved law school with full
rights to
sit for the bar exam in any state. The ABA timeline is as
follows:
Fall 2007 -- Elon applies for provisional
ABA approval
Fall 2007 -- ABA representatives make
inspection
visits, examine all aspects of the program and prepare
inspection report
Winter/Spring 2008 -- ABA representatives
review
report and make recommendation concerning approval
Summer 2008 -- Elon first becomes eligible
for
provisional ABA approval, giving students and
graduates the same recognition and rights as those
from fully approved law schools
Summer 2010 -- Elon first becomes eligible
for full
ABA approval
Elon University and its Greensboro partners have
invested
millions of dollars with the intention of creating a
highly
ranked law school. Enrolling excellent students, developing
an
outstanding program, assembling the best faculty, keeping
class
sizes small and focusing on student success will position
the
school to reach that goal. The ultimate measure of our
success
will be outstanding graduates who pass the bar and,
capitalizing
on the excellent head start they attain at Elon, have
productive
and enjoyable careers.
