UC Irvine School of Law Granted Provisional Accreditation by American Bar Association
IRVINE, Calif., June 14, 2011 — The University of California, Irvine School of Law has been granted provisional accreditation by the American Bar Association.
The ABA Council of the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar said the Law School, which opened in August 2009, fulfills the criteria necessary for provisional accreditation. The Council approved the April recommendation of the Accreditation Committee.
Law schools are eligible for provisional accreditation after two years, and full accreditation after five. Provisional accreditation means that graduating students can take the bar exam in California without taking a qualifying "baby bar" exam.
"The ABA's decision puts the official seal of approval on the hard work of scores of faculty, administrators, students, and supporters - both on campus and in the legal community," said Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. "It's the culmination of years of planning and execution."
A team of six ABA inspectors visited the campus in October 2010 and reported to the Accreditation Committee its findings, which provided a basis for the Committee's positive recommendation.
"We worked hard to make sure the Law School was accredited at the earliest opportunity. We are pleased to have this be the case. We received very positive feedback through each step of the accreditation process and look forward to its continued success," said UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake.
"We have envisioned having a rigorous academic and nationally prominent law school for decades. The level of success to-date has exceeded our expectations. The credit goes to the dean, faculty, staff, and students, as well as the broader campus community and our community supporters," said Drake, who has been Chancellor since 2005.
For more on UCI Law's accreditation, go to the Accreditation page.
Contact: Rex Bossert, assistant dean for communications, 949-824-3063, rbossert@law.uci.edu
About UCI School of Law
Opened in August 2009, UC Irvine School of Law seeks to create the ideal law school for the 21st century by doing the best job of training lawyers for the practice of law at the highest levels of the profession. Recruited from prestigious schools, the faculty ranked 9th in the country in scholarly impact in a recent study. The first two classes of students have median grades and LSAT scores comparable to those of classes at top 20 law schools. The school’s innovative curriculum stresses hands-on learning, interdisciplinary study and public service.