Jeffrey Lewis
Dean Emeritus and Professor
Saint Louis University School of Law
2018-2019 Council Chair
This year marks a major change in the organization of the Accreditation Project. The functions of the Accreditation Committee and the Standards Review Committee have been assumed by the Council. This reorganization will make the process of accreditation more efficient, transparent and timely.
The nature of the Council's responsibility is, in my view, most aptly stated in Standard 301(a): “A law school shall maintain a rigorous program of legal education that prepares its students, upon graduation, for admission to the bar and for effective, ethical, and responsible participation as members of the legal profession.” This is the organizing principle which the remainder of the Standards for Approval of Law Schools are designed to implement.
American legal education owes much to the selfless volunteers who give of their time and energy to fulfilling the accreditation responsibilities of the Council. They follow a long line of lawyers, judges, law deans, law professors and public members who have labored for the public good. The Council members are listed below:
2018-19 Council Members
Chair-Elect, Diane F. Bosse, Esq., Of Counsel, Hurwitz & Fine, P.C. and Chair, New York Board of Bar Examiners; Vice Chair, The Honorable Scott Bales, Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court; Secretary, Antonio García-Padilla, Dean Emeritus & Professor, University of Puerto Rico School of Law; Immediate Past Chair, Maureen A. O’Rourke, Dean Emerita and Professor, Boston University School of Law; David Byers, Administrative Director of the Courts, Arizona Supreme Court; Sarah Correll, Law Student Division Member, Indiana University McKinney School of Law; Roger Dennis, Dean and Professor Emeritus, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law; Robert Glidden, President Emeritus, Ohio University; Donald J. Guter, President & Dean, South Texas College of Law-Houston; James J. Hanks Jr., Esq., Partner, Venable LLP; Pamela Lysaght, Professor (Retired), University of Detroit Mercy School of Law; Leo Martinez, Professor, University of California Hastings College of the Law; Mary Campbell McQueen, President, National Center for State Courts; Gregory G. Murphy, Greg Murphy Law Firm; Charles Ray Nash, Ed.D, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs, The University of Alabama System; The Honorable Mary R. Russell, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Missouri; Daniel R. Thies, Shareholder, Webber & Thies, P.C.; The Honorable Phyllis Thompson, Judge, D.C. Court of Appeals; Joseph K. West, Partner and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Duane Morris LLP; Rebecca Hanner White, Dean and Professor Emerita, University of Georgia School of Law, Hanner Clarke, LLC; House of Delegates Representative, Joan S. Howland, Associate Dean & Professor, University of Minnesota Law School; House of Delegates Representative, The Honorable Solomon Oliver Jr., Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio; Board of Governors Liaison, Michele Wong Krause, The Wong Krause Law Firm; Young Lawyers Division Liaison, Mathew Kerbis, Associate, Condon & Cook, LLC.
The professional experience of the members of the Council and the nearly 150 members of site evaluation teams and fact finders, supported by the fine staff led by Barry Currier, will assure the continued excellence of the Accreditation Project in this new configuration.