Leo P. Martinez
Dean Emeritus & Albert Abramson Professor of Law Emeritus
University of California Hastings College of the Law
2021-2022 Council Chair
Late last month the Council hosted the fourth of our current iteration of Roundtables. The first such Roundtable took place in October 2020 via Zoom – the pandemic was unquestionably the mother of this invention. One of the silver linings of Zoom is that it works well for small meetings in which people are interested and engaged. The Zoom Roundtables allow for the frank and in-depth discussion of changes to the Standards as part of the ongoing task of formulation and refinement. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Roundtables have proven to be a great tool to gather information from a diverse set of knowledgeable and experienced participants. We expect to continue the Roundtables as means of gathering valuable input.
In introductory remarks to last month’s Roundtable, I remarked that it was good to see many old friends. Without any role in the selection of participants, I discovered that I knew about half of them and I’d visited seven of the law schools represented as a speaker, a site visitor, or as a retreat facilitator. We live in a small world and one of the pleasures of being in the academy is the relationships we develop in the course of our careers. It was also gratifying to see so many capable and accomplished people help us in our work.
The preceding informs my concluding observation that I continue to be amazed by how the system of law school accreditation is so heavily dependent on literally hundreds of volunteers. The members of the Council are all volunteers, the members of site teams are all volunteers, and Roundtable participants are all volunteers. We are all guided by a small but capable staff and we are all dedicated to the improvement of legal education. It is an honor that so many are willing to give of their valuable time. I end by once again thanking all of you who give of your valuable time in the cause of law students and legal education.