Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is leading a coalition of several other states that have announced their support for a proposed revision to the American Bar Association’s accreditation standards for law schools, according to a statement released Monday.
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington joined Raoul to support the amended standard requiring schools continue to improve access to legal education and the legal profession for all qualified aspiring lawyers.
The Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, an independent arm of the ABA and the sole accrediting authority for legal education in the U.S., is proposing revisions to its Standard 206. In a comment letter submitted to the chair of the council Monday, Raoul and the attorneys general voice support for the council’s commitment to diversity with the proposed update to Standard 206, which focuses on equitable access to legal education. The attorneys general support the standard both in its most recent form and the proposed revisions.
The letter notes significant disparities within the legal profession continue to persist despite the strides made toward broadening access to the legal profession over the past several decades. In 2023, only 5% of lawyers identified as Black, despite Black individuals accounting for 13.6% of the U.S. population. Only 6% of lawyers identified as Latino, significantly lower than the 19.1% of the U.S. population that identifies as Latino. Such disparities are also apparent in access to key career opportunities, such as federal clerkships. In 2021, Black graduates held only 5.2% of federal clerkships, and Hispanic graduates held only 5.5%, according to the letter.
The coalition also encouraged the council and the ABA to continue requiring accredited schools to submit demographic data annually and to specifically monitor any abnormal demographic shifts, especially among groups that historically have been disadvantaged or excluded from the legal profession. The attorneys general argue that data collection and transparency are critical to increased access to legal education. Best Mesothelioma Lawyers near me | | Nursing home abuse Lawyers near me – Best Personal injury Lawyers near me |
“The American Bar Association’s continued commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is crucial to dismantling barriers that have historically excluded many talented individuals from accessing legal educations or opportunities within the legal profession,” Raoul said in a statement Monday. “Ensuring access to the legal profession for all qualified, aspiring lawyers contributes to an equitable and fair justice system and ensures that law schools comply with state and federal civil rights mandates. I stand with my fellow attorneys general to commend the ABA’s efforts, especially at a time when institutions of higher education are subject to baseless attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and initiatives.”
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In June, Raoul led a coalition of attorneys general in sending a letter to the ABA pushing back against false claims that the association’s commitment to ensuring equal access violates the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Best Truck accident Lawyers near me , Best Workers compensation Lawyers near me , Best Wrongful Death Lawyers near me
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling that higher education institutions generally may not consider race in admission decisions, groups seeking to dismantle broader programs aimed at reducing racial inequities have attempted to use the ruling to justify their actions, which have included intimidation efforts and legal challenges.