Rule 24(d) of the ABA Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools governs the filing of complaints against law schools. Rule 24 can be found on our website at: Rules of Procedure. The complaint process is designed to bring to the attention of the Council any facts and allegations that may indicate that an approved law school is operating its program of legal education out of compliance with the ABA Standards for the Approval of Law Schools. This process is not available to serve as a mediating or dispute-resolving process for a person with complaints about the policies or actions of an approved law school. The Council will not intervene with an approved law school on behalf of an individual with a complaint against or concern regarding action taken by a law school that adversely affects that individual. The outcome of this process will not be the ordering of any indvidual relief for any person or requiring specific action by a law school with respect to any individual.

A complaint must meet the following requirements:

(1) The complainant must provide written consent to disclose the complaint and the identity of the complainant to the law school. The following release language is appropriate: “I authorize the Consultant on Legal Education to disclose this report and my identity to the law school discussed in the report.”

(2) This complaint must be filed within one calendar year of the person’s learning of the facts on which the allegation is based. Pursuit of other remedies does not toll this one calendar year limit.

(3) The complaint must be in writing.

(4) The complaint should contain as much information and detail as possible about the circumstances that led to the report. The complaint should cite the relevant standards and Interpretations that are implicated by the report. The Standards can be found on our website at http://www.abanet.org/legaled/standards/standards.html.

Process upon receipt of a complaint

The Consultant or designee shall determine whether the report alleges facts that raise issues relating to an approved law school’s compliance with the Standards. The Consultant or designee may request additional information if appropriate. If the Consultant or designee concludes that the report does not raise issues relating to an approved school’s compliance with the Standards, the matter will be closed.

If the Consultant or designee determines that the report does raise such issues, the report shall be sent to the school and a response requested. The Consultant or designee ordinarily will request the dean of the school to respond within 30 days.

If the response from the school establishes that the school is not out of compliance with respect to the matters raised in the report, the Consultant or designee will close the matter.

If the school’s response does not establish that it is operating in compliance with the Standards on the matters raised by the report, the Consultant or designee, with the concurrence of the chairperson of the Accreditation Committee, will appoint a fact finder to visit the school to investigate the issues raised by the report and the school’s response. The report, school response, and fact-finder’s report shall be referred to the Accreditation Committee and considered in the same manner as reports and reviews that fall under Rule 13(a) of the Rules of Procedure.

The person making the report will be notified promptly regarding the conclusion of the matter. The person filing the report will not be provided with a copy of the school’s response, if any, and will not receive any further report on the matter. Complaints should be sent to:

Office of the Consultant on Legal Education, American Bar Association, 321 N. Clark Street, 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60654.

There is no appeal to the Council or the Accreditation Committee, or elsewhere in the American Bar Association, in connection with a conclusion by the Consultant or designee that a report does not raise issues under the Standards.

Learn more about the Accreditation Process or the Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools