Reuters, ABA Pares Back US Law School Requirements with Accreditor Role in Limbo:

The American Bar Association’s legal education council on Friday adopted a slate of proposals that eliminate or roll back key accreditation rules for ​law schools — part of its wider effort to bolster innovation and ‌reduce what it has called “undue burdens” on schools.

Friday’s votes come with the ABA council on the verge of potentially losing its status as the federal government’s recognized accreditor of US law ​schools. US Department of Education staff in August concluded that the council ​is not “separate and independent” from the larger ABA, which has been ⁠enmeshed in a series of clashes with President Donald Trump’s administration. A ​final decision is expected in the coming weeks.

The changes approved Friday won’t become final until the ABA’s House of Delegates signs off in February.

Among the changes the council adopted are:

Law360, ABA Council Backs Law School Course, Faculty Rule Changes:

[T]he council voted to lower the number of credit hours students must take in person from 64 to 48, out of a minimum of 83 credit hours required for graduation under the current rules. [Standards Committee Memo (Standard 311 and Standard 502) (Nov. 6, 2026)] …

The council also voted to amend its rules for the number of full-time faculty in Standards 402 and 403. [Standards Committee Memo (Standard 402 and Standard 403) (Nov. 6, 2026):]

The revised provision eliminates a requirement that schools must have enough full-time faculty that they can “conduct scholarly research, participate effectively in the governance of the law school, and provide service to the legal profession and the public”; instead, the revised language simply says the school must have enough full-time faculty to “fulfill their professional obligations” and ensure the school provides legal education in line with other standards.

The council also eliminated a rule that the first third of a student’s coursework be taught by full-time faculty, but retained the expectation that full-time faculty teach either more than half of all credit hours offered or more than two-thirds of student contact hours.

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