The American Bar Association has put Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School on probation, raising concerns about its ability to adequately educate its students.
The ABA has been closely watching the law school, on West Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta, for more than a year. The association wrote in an October 2017 letter that the law school is “significantly out of compliance” with its standards such as admissions policies, maintaining a “rigorous program for legal education” and providing academic support to students.
The letter also suggested Marshall was admitting students not prepared for law school, writing, in part, that one of the unmet standards was that it “shall not admit applicants who do not appear capable of ... completing its program of legal education and being admitted to the bar.”
The probationary status began Dec. 13.
In many states, a person may not sit for the bar exam unless that person holds a degree from an ABA-approved law school.
The law school said in a statement Wednesday, “Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School is proud of its heritage of providing traditional and non-traditional students access to legal education. Meeting this mission does not come without challenges. The Law School is committed to working with the American Bar Association to continue producing high quality lawyers who ensure all communities have access to legal services.”
The law school had about 460 students in fall 2017, according to federal data.
The ABA asked the school to produce its admissions data and methodology, bar exam results, a budget plan for the next school year, a remediation plan for students and other data. It also wants the law school dean to appear at its May meeting in Chicago to discuss what is being done to be in full compliance.
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