Chinese Law School Plans to Seek Accreditation from ABA
A new law school in China has announced its intent to seek accreditation from the American Bar Association, so graduates could potentially practice law in the U.S. (States commonly require a degree from an ABA-accredited law school as a prerequisite for taking the bar exam.)
Peking University School of Transnational Law, the first 55-student class of which will start this fall, will teach classes on American law in English, reports the National Law Journal. The law school’s dean is Jeffrey Lehman, a former dean of the University of Michigan Law School, who plans to use the Socratic method. The school says it will award juris doctor degrees after three years of successful study.
No foreign law school is now accredited by the ABA, nor has any foreign law school sought accreditation, according to an ABA spokeswoman. However, she says ABA accreditation standards don’t require that a law school be based in the U.S., the National Law Journal writes.
Related coverage:
Peking University (press release): “A Message from the Chancellor and Founding Dean”
ABAJournal.com: “Up to 10 New Law Schools Planned; How Many Are Too Many?”
