I: Licensing, Accreditation, and Evaluation

Factor 1. Regulation of Legal Education by a Duly Authorized Entity

Legal education is provided by institutions duly authorized by the State body, professional association, or other entity responsible for regulating legal education.

 

Factor 2. Standards for Licensing and/or Accreditation

The standards for licensing and accrediting institutions providing legal education are clearly defined by the responsible State body, professional association, or other entity duly authorized to regulate providers of legal education.

 

Factor 3. Pre-Licensing and/or Pre-Accreditation Evaluation

Initial licensing and accreditation of institutions providing legal education includes an external evaluation process based on established rigorous, transparent, uniform, and internationally accepted quality assurance standards.

 

Factor 4. Post-Licensing and/or Post-Accreditation Evaluation

Licensed and/or accredited institutions providing legal education are subject to a periodic external evaluation process based on established rigorous, transparent, uniform, and internationally accepted quality assurance standards.

 

Factor 5. Quality Assurance Enforcement Actions

When institutions providing legal education fail to comply with established quality assurance standards, mechanisms for enforcement actions are administered fairly, consistently, and transparently, with an appeals process.

 

II: Admission Policies and Requirements

Factor 6. Admission Examination and/or Other Entrance Standards

Admission to institutions providing legal education is based upon passing a fair, rigorous, and transparent entrance examination or a comparable set of uniform admission standards that are designed to ensure that the student body has the academic potential to complete the course of study and effectively practice law.

 

Factor 7. Non-Discriminatory Admission

Admission to institutions providing legal education is not denied for reasons of race, gender, sexual orientation, color, religion, political or other opinion, ethnic or social origin, membership of a national minority, property, birth, language, or physical disability.

 

Factor 8. Special Admission Measures

Special admission measures to increase representation of disadvantaged members of society or otherwise underrepresented groups are appropriately employed, where applicable, to further a desirable goal of society or an institution providing legal education.

 

III: Institutional Holdings and Capacities

Factor 9. Access to Legal Materials

Students and faculty have adequate access to the full range of laws and legal materials [national and international] relevant to curriculum subjects and the eventual practice of law, with materials available in all official State languages where appropriate.

 

Factor 10. Physical Facilities and Technological Capacities

Institutions providing legal education possess adequate physical facilities and technological capacities to meet the needs of their current program of legal education and anticipated growth.

 

Factor 11. Class Size and Administrative and Support Staff

Institutions providing legal education have a reasonable student to teacher ratio, appropriate class size, and sufficient administrative and support staff to achieve the educational goals of the institution.

 

IV. Faculty Qualifications, Promotion and Tenure, Compensation, and Academic Freedom

Factor 12. Faculty Qualifications

Law faculty possess requisite knowledge and competence in their subjects to provide a quality education to students, as evidenced by degrees held, scholarly publications, and practical experience, as well as strong teaching skills.

 

Factor 13. Hiring, Review, Promotion, and Tenure

Faculty hiring, review, promotion, and granting of tenure, or its equivalent, are based on rigorous, fair, uniform, and transparent criteria and procedures with a process for seeking appeal or review of adverse decisions.

 

Factor 14. Faculty Compensation

Compensation for law faculty should be set at an appropriate level to provide a reasonable standard of living in order to attract and retain qualified, dedicated, and ethical faculty who are able to devote their time to teaching, research, and public service.

 

Factor 15. Academic Freedom and Freedom of Association for Law Faculty

Law faculty enjoy academic freedom, are encouraged to engage in research, and are not punished for holding positions relating to academic debate, research, or public service, and have the right to freedom of association.

 

V. Curriculum and Teaching Methodology

Factor 16. Educational Goals of Institution

Institutions providing legal education have clearly articulated educational goals that describe the knowledge, skills, and values that students should possess upon graduation.

 

Factor 17. Comprehensive Curricula

Institutions providing legal education have curricula that are comprehensive and incorporate recent developments in national, comparative, and international law in order to provide students with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively and responsibly practice law.

 

Factor 18. Ethics, Core Professional Values, and Codes of Conduct

Law students receive adequate instruction in the core values and ethics of the profession, including relevant codes of conduct.

 

Factor 19. Professional Skills Instruction

Law students receive adequate instruction in professional skills, including problem solving, legal research and writing, advocacy skills, and client relations.

 

Factor 20. Teaching Methodologies (Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and Analytical Reasoning)

Faculty employ teaching methodologies that develop and encourage critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical reasoning.

 

VI. Student Evaluation/Examination, Awarding of Degrees, and Recognition of Qualifications

Factor 21. Student Evaluation and/or Examination

Student performance and achievement of stated learning outcomes are assessed by fair, uniform, and stringent written examinations or other objective and reliable assessment techniques.

 

Factor 22. Awarding of Degrees

Qualifications and degrees awarded reflect that students have successfully completed all requirements and met all standards for the awarding institution.

 

Factor 23. Institutional Record-Keeping

Institutions providing legal education maintain accurate records that meet national and international quality assurance frameworks and standards in order to facilitate comparability and compatibility of qualifications.

 

Factor 24. Recognition Frameworks and Networks

Institutions providing legal education participate in national, regional and international quality assurance and recognition networks, and their participation is facilitated and monitored by the entity in charge of regulating institutions providing legal education.