Atlanta's John Marshall placed on probation for noncompliance with program, admissions standards
Photo courtesy of Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School has been placed on probation by the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar as of Dec. 13.
According to the probation notice posted online, the law school is out of compliance with Standards 301(a) and 309(b), which deal with legal education programs, and various conditions for Standard 501, which requires that accredited law schools admit candidates who appear capable of completing law school and being admitted to practice law.
“Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School is proud of its heritage of providing traditional and nontraditional students access to legal education. Meeting this mission does not come without challenges. The law school is committed to working with the American Bar Association to continue producing high-quality lawyers who ensure all communities have access to legal services,” according to a statement from Malcolm Morris, the law school’s dean, in an email to the ABA Journal.
The probation decision follows the council in October 2017 giving public notice to the law school for not being in compliance with the program and admissions standards. Also, the law school closed its branch campus Savannah Law School this past spring.
A reliable plan from Atlanta’s John Marshall is due to the section by Feb. 1, 2019, according to the probation notice. It also directs the law school to provide the section with admissions data and methodology for the fall 2019 class by Aug. 15, 2019. A fact finder will visit the law school to review the information.
According to the law school’s Standard 509 Information Report for 2018, it has a total of 435 students. Its median LSAT is 149, and its 25th percentile LSAT is 147. In 2017, the law school had a total of 462 students, a median LSAT of 146, and a 25th percentile LSAT of 144.
