Yet Another Troubled Law School To Close Its Doors

Administrators couldn't even give this law school away as a gift.

Last November, following the news that Valparaiso University Law School had decided to suspend admission of new students, we wrote here in these pages that the school would likely be closing its doors due to its low enrollment and financial problems. A spokesperson from Valparaiso reached out to us to ask that we make corrections, insisting that the school would not be closing. Almost one year has passed, and Valparaiso Law is now officially closing. It is the second law school this week to announce its eventual closure following the conclusion of a teach-out plan.

Valparaiso Law’s travails are detailed in a press release from the school:

The University administration pursued a number of alternative strategies to transition the Law School, including an educational collaboration with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission voted not to permit MTSU to create a juris doctor program. As a result, the option for Valparaiso University to transfer its law school to MTSU was no longer available. This led to the University’s decision to complete the teach-out of current law students and cease operations.

In November 2017, Valparaiso University announced its decision to suspend admission of a first-year law school class in fall 2018, and its intention to pursue strategic alternatives regarding the financial viability of the Law School. Significantly declining law school enrollment, especially in the Great Lakes region, and a lessening demand for those entering the legal profession significantly impacted the sustainability of the Law School.

Frederick G. Kraegel, chairman of Valparaiso’s board of directors, said this about the closure: “This has been an extremely difficult decision and is the result of several years of careful discernment. We have explored a number of strategic alternatives. Despite these efforts, we have not been able to achieve a more positive outcome.”

About 100 law students are still enrolled at the law school, and will be able to complete their degrees through Valparaiso’s teach-out program. If these students choose to quit learning the law like their would-be alma mater chose to quit teaching it, they ought to do some research on closed school loan discharges. If there’s anything worse than having tens of thousands of dollars of law school debt hanging over your head, it’s having law school debt from a school that doesn’t exist anymore. For those students who choose to stick it out, we’d encourage them to hold onto their law degrees from the school, because they’ll be soon be collector’s items.

Will more law schools close in Valparaiso’s wake? Other law schools certainly hope so. There’s a lesson to be learned here for students: If you continuously hear negative things about your school, perhaps it’s time to get out, before it’s too late.

Law School at Valparaiso University Plans to Cease Operations [Valparaiso University Law School]
Valpo law school closing; teach-out plan in the works [ABA Journal]

Sponsored

Earlier: Valparaiso Law School Will Stop Accepting New Students, May Wind Down
University Tries To Give Away Troubled Law School As ‘Gift’
University Can’t Give Away Its Troubled Law School


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Sponsored