Practice Management

According to the ABA Law Journal, the University of Alabama School of Law has followed the University of Michigan School of Law and the University of Illinois College of law in a pilot program to admit honor students without the need of the student taking the LSAT.  Three ABA approved law schools a trend makes, I suppose.  But, I think it a good idea.  Too many good law schools are losing their best prospects due to a test that does not accurately determine one's ability in law school, while GPA always determines how a person performs as against his or her peers.  Law schools ignore their best students in search of rankings.

?The decade-old Law-UA Honors partnership, which is a select but important part of our recruitment effort, is experimenting this year with ways to keep top local students on campus for their legal education,? UA Law spokesman Aaron Latham said.

Tuscaloosa News obtained a letter that Claude Reeves, associate dean for admissions at the law school, sent to Honors College students in the fall. The letter stated that for Honors College students with a minimum 3.75 GPA, applications would not require LSAT scores, essays or recommendation letters, and that their admission decisions would be made within 24 hours.

Michigan Law announced a similar program in September that goes so far as to not consider applicants who had taken the LSAT.  The Tuscaloosa News also noted that the University of Illinois College of Law announced a similar program in October.