At its meeting on August 3, 2012, the Council of the Section approved changes to Criteria for Approval of Foreign Semester and Year-Long Study Abroad Programs Established by ABA- Approved Law Schools and Criteria for Approval of Foreign Summer and Intersession Programs Established by ABA-Approved Law Schools.

At its meeting on August 6-7, 2012, the ABA House of Delegates concurred in changes to Standard 509 and Rule 16 of the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools.  These changes clarify the obligations of schools with respect to the reporting and publication of consumer information and strengthen the range of sanctions that may be imposed for violations of the Standard. The changes align employment outcomes disclosure requirements with the reporting requirements previously approved by the Council upon recommendation by the Questionnaire Committee.

The changes became effective immediately. Following is a brief explanation of the changes. For the complete commentary, redlined version of the amended Standard and Rules Procedures, the approved forms for Standard 509, and redlined copies of the revised Criteria visit the Section’s website.

Standard 509. CONSUMER INFORMATION

The revised Standard 509 mandates that all consumer information that a law school reports, publicizes or distributes must be complete, accurate and not misleading to a reasonable law school student or applicant, and specifically states that violations of the Standard may result in sanctions under Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools. The proposal delineates information that schools must disclose on their websites concerning a range of matters, including employment outcomes of graduates and the renewal of conditional scholarships. In addition, the Standard requires schools to provide conditional scholarship renewal data to all applicants being offered conditional scholarships.

Rule 16. Sanctions

The revision to Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools provides that the sanctions of probation and removal from the list of approved law schools may be imposed even where a school is in compliance with the Standards at the time sanctions are imposed.

Criteria for Approval of Foreign Programs

 Criteria Section II.B. (Faculty) of the Criteria for Approval of Foreign Semester andYear-Long Study Abroad Programs Established by ABA-Approved Law Schools

Criteria Section IX. (Procedures for Approval) of the Criteria for Approval of Foreign Summer and Intersession Programs Established by ABA-Approved Law Schools; and

Criteria Section X. (Procedures for Approval) of the Criteria for Approval of Foreign Semester and Year-Long Study Abroad Programs Established by ABA-Approved Law Schools.

The proposed amendments to the Faculty section of the Foreign Semester and Year-Long Study Abroad Criteria are based on experience in the operation of these programs and feedback from law schools. The proposed amendments to the Procedures for Approval clarify the approval process for law schools seeking to establish foreign summer/intersession programs and foreign semester/year- long study abroad programs.