June 2007
Phoenix School of Law Receives Provisional ABA Accreditation
Arizona's first private law school passes major hurdle
(PHOENIX) June 12, 2007: For the first time in more than 40 years, an Arizona law school has received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association. The Phoenix School of Law, Arizona's first private law school, received notification of the ABA provisional approval on June 11, 2007.
"Everyone at PhoenixLaw has worked long and hard to earn this provisional approval from the ABA, and we look forward to our first group of students taking the bar exam," said Dennis J. Shields, Dean of PhoenixLaw. "We will continue to adhere to ABA standards and practices in hopes of gaining full accreditation in 2010."
Law schools must receive approval from the ABA for their students to take the bar exam. An ABA panel reviewed factors including PhoenixLaw's curriculum, facilities, library, admissions and faculty, and granted the school provisional accreditation. After three years of maintaining these standards, a law school is eligible for full accreditation. While it is not uncommon for a new law school to have difficulty meeting the ABA standards, PhoenixLaw received provisional accreditation on the first attempt. Officials at the school and at its parent company Infilaw are pleased with the ABA decision.
"The American Bar Association has sent a message that PhoenixLaw is a quality law school with a unique mission to make student-centered legal education accessible to minorities and non-traditional students," said Dennis Archer, past President of the ABA and Chair of the InfiLaw National Policy Board. "We are proud to be one of only three Arizona law schools to meet the stringent quality standards of the ABA."
Phoenix School of Law is the first law school in the state to offer part-time and evening programs. It now can create clinical programs where students advocate on behalf of clients, receive federal student loan assistance, and take part in admissions recruiting events with other ABA-approved schools.
"The ABA's provisional approval is a reflection of the enormity of the commitment of our founders, staff, faculty and Board to the mission pillars of excellence in legal education, graduating practice ready students, and serving the underserved in the Arizona community," said Patrick J. McGroder, chair of the PhoenixLaw Advisory Board.
