WASHINGTON, D.C., March 9, 2011 — Neither the American Bar Association nor its Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar endorses, cooperates with, or provides data to any law school ranking system.  Several organizations rank or rate law schools; however, the ABA provides only a statement of accreditation status.  No ranking or rating system of law schools is attempted or advocated by the ABA.

Prospective law students should consider a variety of factors in making their choice among schools. A discussion of those factors can be found in Chapter 5 (Choosing a Law School) of the ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools.

As part of the law school accreditation process, the Accreditation Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar requires accredited law schools to complete a comprehensive annual questionnaire, which inquires into facts relevant to continued compliance with accrediting standards. The questionnaire elicits information and data regarding curriculum, faculty, facilities, fiscal and administrative capacity, technology resources, student profiles, bar passage rates and student placement data. Click here to learn more about the ABA accreditation process.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

- 30 -