IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
v.
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION,
Defendant.
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Civil Action No. 95-1211 (RCL)
Judge Royce C. Lamberth
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STIPULATION FOR ENTRY OF ORDER
WHEREAS the Court entered an agreed-upon Final Judgment in this action on June 25,
1996, and entered an agreed-upon Modification Of Final Judgment on February 6, 2001; and
WHEREAS the United States of America has conducted an investigation regarding the
American Bar Association's ("ABA") compliance with certain provisions of the Final Judgment,
as modified, including Sections VI(E)(3), VI(G)(1), VIII(D), VIII(E), VIII(F), and IX(B); and
WHEREAS the United States alleges that the ABA has not complied with the
aforementioned provisions, as stated in the United States' Petition For An Order To Show Cause
Why Defendant American Bar Association Should Not Be Found In Civil Contempt (the
"Petition"), filed herewith; and
WHEREAS the ABA desires in good faith to rectify outstanding compliance issues
known to it and to resolve any further concerns related thereto; and
WHEREAS the ABA acknowledges that it has not complied with certain provisions of
the Final Judgment; and
WHEREAS the United States and the ABA agree upon a resolution of this matter;
IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED by and between the undersigned parties
that:
- This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action
and each of the parties to this action under the Court's inherent
power to enforce compliance with its orders and Section XI(B) of the
Final Judgment.
- The ABA did not comply with clear provisions of the Final Judgment
as follows:
- Section VI(E)(3) of the Final Judgment requires that no more than half of
the members of the ABA's Standards Review Committee be law school
deans or faculty. During the 2005-06 term, more than half of the members
of the Standards Review Committee were law school deans or faculty.
- Section VI(G)(1) requires "that each site evaluation team include, to the
extent reasonably feasible . . . one university administrator who is not a
law school dean or faculty member . . . ." In multiple years, the ABA did
not make efforts to include university administrators who were not law
school deans or faculty members on site evaluation teams sent to certain
law schools that were not affiliated with a university.
- Until 2001, Section VIII(D) required the ABA to "provid[e] the United
States, during the term of the Final Judgment, a copy of all proposed
changes to the Standards, Interpretations and Rules before they are acted
on by the House of Delegates, and a copy of all Standards, Interpretations
and Rules adopted by the House." As modified in 2001, Section VIII(D)
requires the ABA to provide the United States "a copy of all proposed
changes to the Standards, Interpretations, and Rules before they are acted
on by the Council, and a copy of all Standards, Interpretations and Rules
adopted by the Council." On multiple occasions since 1996, the ABA did
not provide notice of proposed and adopted changes to the United States.
- Section VIII(E) requires the ABA to give an annual briefing "on the
meaning and requirements of th[e] Final Judgment" to all members of the
Council, Accreditation Committee and Standards Review Committee,
certain ABA officers and staff, and site evaluation workshop participants.
On multiple occasions, the ABA did not provide such annual briefings.
- Section VIII(F) requires the ABA to obtain from all members of the
Council, the Accreditation Committee and Standards Review Committee,
and certain ABA officers and staff an annual written certification that each
person has read, understood, and agreed to abide by the terms of the Final
Judgment and is not aware of any violations he or she has not reported to
the Antitrust Compliance Officer. On multiple occasions, the ABA did
not obtain such certifications.
- Section IX(B) requires that the ABA "shall certify annually to the Court
and the United States whether the ABA has complied with the provisions
of Section VIII" of the Final Judgment. The ABA did not certify
compliance in a timely matter in each year from 2000 through 2005.
- The [Proposed] Order in the form attached may be entered by the Court on the
Court's own motion or the motion of the United States at any time, and without
further notice to any party or any proceeding.
- The parties' execution of this Stipulation and entry of the [Proposed] Order
discharges and settles any and all claims of the United States against the ABA
arising out of the violations of Sections VI(E)(3), VI(G)(1), VIII(D), VIII(E),
VIII(F), and IX(B) of the Final Judgment, as modified, from June 25, 1996 to the
date of this Stipulation, as alleged in the Petition.
- Neither this Stipulation nor the [Proposed] Order shall be construed to preclude
the United States from bringing an action or seeking relief against the ABA for
any violations of the Final Judgment other than the violations described in
Paragraph 4 above.
- In the event the United States withdraws its consent, or if the [Proposed] Order is
not entered pursuant to this Stipulation, this Stipulation shall be of no effect
whatever, the making of it shall be without prejudice to any party in this or any
other proceedings, and it shall not thereafter be used in this or any other action, or
for any other purposes.
Dated:
Respectfully submitted,
FOR PLAINTIFF
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
_______________/s/________________
ROBERT P. MAHNKE
JESSICA N. BUTLER-ARKOW
(D.C. Bar No. 430022)
PATRICIA BRINK
MARY N. STRIMEL
(D.C. Bar. No. 455303)
DAMON J. KALT
U.S. Department of Justice
Antitrust Division
600 E Street, N.W.
Suite 9500
Washington, D.C. 20530
Tel.: (202) 307-1027
Fax: (202) 616-8544
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FOR DEFENDANT
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION:
_______________/s/________________
DAVID L. ROLL
(D.C. Bar No. 188763)
ROBERT W. FLEISHMAN
(D.C. Bar No. 175562)
THOMAS M. BARBA
(D.C. Bar No. 414280)
JAMIE D. UNDERWOOD
(D.C. Bar No 471614)
Steptoe & Johnson
1330 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel.: (202) 429-6240
Fax: (202) 429-3902
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
On June 23, 2006, I caused a copy of the Stipulation For Entry Of Order to be served by
facsimile and first-class mail upon:
American Bar Association:
David L. Roll, Esquire
Robert W. Fleishman, Esquire
Thomas M. Barba, Esquire
Jamie D. Underwood, Esquire
Steptoe & Johnson
1330 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
fax (429-3902)
David T. Pritikin, Esquire
Sidley & Austin
One First National Plaza
Chicago, Illinois 60603
fax (312/853-7036)
Darryl L. DePriest, Esquire
American Bar Association
541 N. Fairbanks Court
Chicago, Illinois 60611-3314
fax (312/988-5217)
I also caused a courtesy copy to be served by first-class mail and facsimile upon:
Massachusetts School of Law:
Lawrence R. Velvel, Esquire
Massachusetts School of Law
500 Federal Street
Andover, Massachusetts 01810
fax (978/681-6330).
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_______________/s/________________
JESSICA N. BUTLER-ARKOW |
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