Major Changes Reshape Law Schools: A New Era?

JD Journal has a piece that got me thinking. It contends that U.S. law schools “are entering one of the most transformative periods in recent memory. In 2026, legal education is being reshaped by leadership turnover, shifting accreditation standards, changes to student loan policies, and the introduction of a redesigned bar exam.” The result is that law schools are rethinking legal education. The article identifies the following:

Leadership Transitions Signal Strategic Shifts

Rising Cost Concerns and Student Loan Limits

Accreditation Rules Under Scrutiny

Bar Exam Overhaul Changes Law School Preparation

Law School Applications Continue to Rise

Faculty Recruitment and Curriculum Innovation

Other factors could be added, such as the rise of artificial intelligence.

Are we seeing a turning point for legal education? Or simply continuing change as in any other time?

About the Author

Kevin R Johnson

Kevin R. Johnson is a Mabie-Apallas Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Aoki Center. Johnson also has an appointment as Professor of Chicana/o Studies at UC Davis. He joined the UC Davis law faculty in 1989 and was named Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in 1998. Johnson then served as Dean from 2008 to 2024, the longest term in UC Davis School of Law history. He has taught a wide array of classes, including immigration law, civil procedure, complex litigation, Latinos and Latinas and the law, and Critical Race Theory. In 1993, he was the recipient of the law school’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

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