Thomas Jefferson Law School

This Law School Just Officially Lost Its Accreditation

Thomas Jefferson School of Law is officially losing its American Bar Association accreditation.

Above The Law reports that an appellate panel affirmed the ABA’s decision to revoke the law school’s accreditation following an investigation into its dubious admissions practices and repeatedly low bar exam passage rates.

“There is no further appeal or review of the Council’s decision within the accreditation process,” the decision states. “The Panel’s decision reinstates the Council’s prior decision to withdraw approval. That removal is effective on December 17, 2019, the day following the end of the fall semester’s final exam period.”

ROCKY PAST

Thomas Jefferson School of Law has had a bumpy history with the ABA.

Earlier this year, the ABA announced plans to strip the university’s accreditation – giving the law school 30 days to appeal the decision.

However, Thomas Jefferson has struggled to meet ABA accreditation standards in the past.

In November 2017, the law school was placed on ABA probation for violating an ABA rule of admitting students who “appear capable” of graduating and passing the bar as well as “maintaining a rigorous academic program.”

The law school also faced scrutiny in 2016 for allegedly reporting deceptive graduate employee data when a graduate sued the law school in 2012 for granting her a degree that offered few job prospects.

THOMAS JEFFERSON RESPONSE 

In response to the ABA’s decision, Thomas Jefferson released the following statement:

“The law school is disappointed by the appeals panel’s decision, and is focused on ensuring that its current students will graduate pursuant to an ABA-approved teach-out plan,” the statement states. “The ABA Council has approved recent teach-outs allowing law schools to remain ABA-accredited in order to grant degrees to current students. While the approval process is pending, the law school will proceed with plans for the Spring 2020 semester as scheduled.”

Sources: Above The Law, American Bar Association, Tipping the Scales