Summary: Concordia Law School has received provisional accreditation after months of back-and-forth with the American Bar Association. Graduates will now be able to take the bar exam this summer.
According to the Idaho Statesman, the Concordia University School of Law in Boise is upping its recruitment efforts after the American Bar Association gave it provisional accreditation just a few weeks ago. In Idaho, a law school must either be provisionally accredited or fully accredited for its students to take the state bar exam. Graduates cannot practice law in Idaho until they have passed the bar exam.
Read about the provisional accreditation here.
Currently, the law school enrolls around 100 students. Over the next several weeks, the law school will implement the use of newspapers, billboards, radio ads, and social media to encourage more students to enroll. Madeline Turnock, a spokeswoman for Concordia University, said, “We wanted to make sure we reached all the key stakeholder groups.”
The school opened its doors in 2012. In August of 2014, it began the process of seeking accreditation from the American Bar Association. The ABA, however, delayed rendering a decision at that time, and sent a team of professionals to the school to gather additional information. Earlier this month, it received provisional accreditation. The National Law Journal adds that the school will be eligible for full accreditation in 2017.
However, due to the delay in provisional accreditation, 55 second- and third-year law students transferred to the University of Idaho’s law school so that they were eligible to sit for the bar exam. According to Boise Weekly, the Idaho Supreme Court refused to give the school a waiver that would allow third-year students to take the exam.
Some efforts are already being noticed. Along Interstate 84 near the Orchard Street exit, a billboard encourages prospective students to submit applications.
Turnock commented that the school has room to expand, but officials have explained that a specific enrollment goal has not been set. The school can currently take 75 students in each of its three classes.
Some students sat out the fall semester last year while waiting on the ABA to make its decision.
Concordia added that it is carefully reviewing the quality of its students. Bar passage rates are used to rank law schools throughout the country.
The media campaign will be ongoing until August. That month, around 17 students will graduate with their law degrees.
Source: Idaho Statesman
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