ABA Withdraws Proposal To Remove LSAT As Accreditation Requirement, Doubles (To 30) Number Of Permissible Online Credits And Eliminates Ban On Online 1L Credits

National Law Journal, ABA Holds Off on Removing LSAT Requirement for Law Schools:

The LSAT still reigns.

The arm of the American Bar Association that oversees law schools on Monday withdrew a closely watched proposal to eliminate its requirement that schools use the Law School Admission Test for prospective students.

The withdrawal of the proposal that was set to go before the ABA’s House of Delegates during its annual meeting in Chicago means the LSAT rule remains in effect, complicating the movement toward law schools accepting alternative tests such as the GRE and GMAT.

The House of Delegates never had the opportunity to debate the controversial measure. The chairman of the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver of the Northern District of Ohio, said only that LSAT proposal had run into pushback from delegates and that the council would take time to reconsider the measure. ...

Law School Admission Council president Kellye Testy had made the case in the months leading up to the House of Delegates meeting that the LSAT is the best predictor of law school performance, and that using the test protects applicants by providing a good indication of their chances of graduating and passing the bar. ...

Less controversial were the house’s votes to overhaul the ABA’s law school accreditation procedure to save money and boost efficiency. That measure passed, as did a change to the ABA’s accreditation standards that will boost the number of online credit hours J.D. students may take from 15 to as many as 30. The updated distance education rule also removes the prohibition against online courses during the crucial 1L year.

ABA Journal, Plan To Drop Law School Entry Exam Requirement Withdrawn Before ABA House Vote