Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar names Special Advisory Committee

December 22, 2025

Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar names Special Advisory Committee

CHICAGO, Dec. 22, 2025 - The Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, the national accreditor of law schools, announced today the appointment of a Special Advisory Committee to assist in reviewing the Council's Standards for the Approval of Law Schools.

In making the announcement, Daniel Thies, the Council chair, said: "This committee will be guided by our recently adopted Core Principles and Values and will focus on ensuring that the Council's standards enable law schools to innovate and provide a quality legal education without imposing needless burdens or costs."

The committee will assist the Council in its work by gathering information from key constituencies providing counsel on what changes to the standards are appropriate.

"The Council cannot do its work of accrediting law schools alone," said Thies. "The wisdom and insight from this distinguished group of state supreme court justices, law school deans and others prominent in their fields will shape our deliberations and ensure that our system operates effectively and efficiently in service of clients and the public."

The newly appointed members of the advisory committee include:

• Dean Kerry Abrams, Duke University School of Law
• Chief Justice Megan K. Cavanagh, Michigan Supreme Court
• Dean Anthony W. Crowell, New York Law School
• Chief Justice Matthew Fader, Supreme Court of Maryland
• Justice Rebeca A. Huddle, Supreme Court of Texas
• Chief Justice Steven R. Jensen, South Dakota Supreme Court
• Dean David H. Moore, Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School
• Dean Cynthia Nance, University of Arkansas School of Law
• Dean Erin O'Hara O'Connor, Florida State University College of Law
• Professor Jerry Organ, University of St. Thomas (MN) School of Law
• Justice David Overstreet, Supreme Court of Illinois
• Augustin "Augie" Rivera, Jr., chair, Texas Board of Law Examiners and General Counsel, Del Mar College District
• Professor Kevin K. Washburn, University of California-Berkeley School of Law
• Professor David Yellen, University of Miami School of Law

Over the next year, the committee will meet regularly with the Council's Standards Committee to prioritize which standards should be reviewed, guided by the Council's Core Principles and Values. This process will be augmented by outreach to other constituencies, in a variety of formats. A few other members may be added to the committee in early 2026.

This greater inclusion and transparency in standards revisions will enhance the Council's valuable work in helping to ensure that state courts admit graduates who are prepared to be effective, ethical and responsible members of the legal profession.

The Council of the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (the Council) is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) as the national accrediting agency for programs leading to the J.D. As the national accreditor, the Council is separate and independent from the ABA and works on a non-profit basis for the betterment of legal education at a national level. The Council's work ensures a national standard of quality for legal education across every U.S. jurisdiction so that graduates' law degrees are portable among states. Follow the latest Council news at www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/accreditation.