Earlier this week, the University of Austin announced (“Save the Constitution. Ditch the ABA.”) at its Constitution Day event an $11 million gift to build the university’s law program and endow the chair who will lead it. In an essay, UATX’s general counsel Adam Biggs, explained the kind of law school that it intends to build (conservative) whatever the American Bar Association wants.  He has this to say about the ABA:

“The ABA is a private trade association that has spent seventy years making sure no one builds a law school that doesn’t conform to its exact vision for legal education. Nearly every state treats graduation from an ABA-approved school as the only practical gateway into the profession. Through its accreditation standards, the ABA’s council micromanages how every law school in the country is organized, staffed, and financed. The model it enforces is expensive and outdated, and it stifles anyone who tries to build something different. Don’t conform, and your students can’t take the bar in most states.

This state-assisted monopoly hurts law schools, students, and America.” To make matters worse, he blames the ABA standards for driving up tuition, student debt loads, etc.

Food for thought.