Top judicial officials to focus on review of law school accreditation

Williamsburg, Va. (Feb. 18) — The Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) today announced the launch of a new working group focused on law school accreditation. The working group is part of CCJ and COSCA's Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR), a standing committee of both conferences.

The creation of the new working group derives from one of the nine initial recommendations proposed by CLEAR last July. Recommendation three says that state supreme courts should: 

"Encourage law school accreditation that serves the public. State supreme courts should encourage an accreditation process that promotes innovation, experimentation, and cost-effective legal education geared toward lawyers meeting the legal needs of the public."

"As the primary regulators of the legal profession in their respective jurisdictions, state supreme courts must be at the table for the ongoing public discussion on the future of law school accreditation," said Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald of New Hampshire and chair of the CLEAR committee.

The American Bar Association's (ABA) Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is the primary body responsible for accrediting law schools. As part of its accrediting role, the Council publishes standards for law schools to follow to meet the minimal education requirements established by a jurisdiction to qualify a candidate to sit for the bar exam.

The accreditation working group will be chaired by Justice C. Shannon Bacon of the New Mexico Supreme Court, who serves as vice chair of CLEAR.

"This working group will bring a big tent approach to understanding the current challenges to, and the future of, law school accreditation," said Justice Bacon. "Our objective is to collect a diversity of viewpoints, so CLEAR can offer practical, concrete recommendations that reflect the consensus of CCJ and COSCA."

The working group will operate from March through December and will submit its draft report of findings and recommendations to the CLEAR Committee no later than December 2026. 

CLEAR's charge is to assess how legal education and licensure practices and processes can address the justice gap crisis and ensure public trust and confidence in the legal profession.

Its landmark July 2025 report is available at ncsc.org/CLEAR.