Law Schools

Law School Considers Closing Amid Concerns About Financial Viability

The final decision on the school's future is coming next month.

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While no decision has been officially made yet, University of La Verne College of Law is inching ever closer to shutting its doors for good. Last week, the University Provost, Jonathan Reed, announced the Board of Trustees’ decision to pass a resolution to consider closing the law school. The University has created an ad hoc committee of faculty to prepare a report of recommendations to the Board on the financial viability of the law school. The Board is scheduled to make its final determination on the future of the law school at their November 18th meeting.

As reported by La Verne Campus Times, at a student meeting, Reed stressed a final decision had not yet been made:

“As part of the Board of Trustees’ due diligence, they have triggered the process of making sure we are taking a look at the long term trajectory of the ABA-accredited College of Law program,” Reed said. “That creates a process where a committee is formed, and administration is tasked to come up with recommendations on what the program should look like moving forward.”

In the event the University does decide to close the law school, they are investigating “teach out” programs and other options to ensure those currently enrolled are able to graduate.

In addition to financial concerns about the law school, there is also concern about the recently amended American Bar Association Standard 316 at La Verne. The law school accreditation body decided in May of this year to require law schools to have 75 percent of their graduates pass the bar exam in two years; the previous standard had been in five years.

Reed assured the students that the board did not spontaneously come to a conclusion to look into the College of Law’s financial viability.

“This decision did not arise from a single event,” Reed said. “It has been the history of the College of Law in terms of finances continuing to be subsidized by the University, although it has gone down in recent years. The new ABA standard also creates problems for us.”

The results of the most recent California bar exam will be available on November 16th, and will reportedly factor into the law school’s future.

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headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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