Legal Studies Seeks to Extend ABA Approval

The legal studies department hosted an American Bar Association (ABA) review team in mid-January. Every seven years, the ABA visits existing programs seeking reapproval. During the two-day visit, a practicing attorney from Atlanta, Georgia, and a senior paralegal from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, met with faculty and staff from the library, enrollment services, marketing and student development. In addition, the reviewers met with the legal studies advisory board and College of Saint Mary alumnae.

Before the visit, program director Sally-Bisson Best, J.D., completed a comprehensive report showcasing curriculum, academic standards, recruiting efforts and support services for students.

“The site team was very impressed with the competency of our faculty and the level of importance the institution places on the program,” Bisson-Best said. “The reviewers also reported that students felt their education was transformative, which speaks to the high-level of personal attention in our program.”

Among 1,000 legal studies programs nationwide, only one-third are ABA approved. College of Saint Mary received its first approval in 1991 and is the only ABA-approved program of its kind in Nebraska and Iowa.

Reapproval through 2020 will be voted on by the ABA House of Delegates this summer.