Daniel Thies, Chair of the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, ABA Accreditation Protects Law Students, Leaves Politics Aside available on Bloomberg Law (Dec. 18, 2025).

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The premise of a single, national accreditor isn’t unique to the legal profession. Accreditors for medical, dentistry and pharmaceutical education also apply national standards that help to ensure the quality of education in these important professions.

As with lawyers and state bars, state licensing authorities have the final say on which candidates qualify for licensure. But these authorities rely on accrediting bodies to maintain consistency in education, improve the profession, and protect patients and clients.

The council’s work in accrediting law schools is nonpartisan and independent from the general ABA. Whatever one thinks of the ABA’s politics, the organization isn’t involved in council enforcement actions, doesn’t choose council personnel, and can’t dictate the content of any standard.

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