UNT Dallas College of Law Earns Provisional Approval

UNT DALLAS COLLEGE OF LAW EARNS PROVISIONAL APPROVAL
FOR ACCREDITATION FROM THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
Decision affirms school’s vision for diversity, quality in legal education

Dallas - (June 6, 2017) – The UNT Dallas College of Law has earned provisional approval for accreditation from the American Bar Association. The ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar announced its decision following a positive recommendation from the ABA Accreditation Committee and a review of documents and testimony provided by the College of Law’s leadership on June 3.

As is the case for all new law schools, UNT Dallas College of Law opened its doors as an unaccredited college in 2014. Once its first students enrolled and began classes, the College of Law worked closely with the ABA to reach this historic milestone.  UNT Dallas held its first-ever Juris Doctor hooding ceremony for 74 students from the inaugural class of 2017 on May 20 and those 74 students will be graduates of an ABA-approved law school when their degrees are conferred in mid-June and thereafter. Students from UNT Dallas College of Law were already eligible to take the Texas Bar Exam, July 25-27, 2017, through an Administrative Order from the Supreme Court of Texas.

COMMENTS FROM OFFICIALS:

“The announcement that the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law has earned provisional approval for accreditation from the American Bar Association is a fitting testament to the tenacity of visionary leaders who would not accept just ‘any ol law school education’ for its law students and graduates. This is a great day in the history of the law school and will serve as a reminder of what can be accomplished when like people, with like minds, come together for the realization of a common cause." – Senator Royce West

“UNT Dallas College of Law is different by design. Our Board of Regents and System leadership recognized that law and the legal profession are in the midst of transformational change, and thus we created a unique, experiential curriculum that is designed to prepare our students for the future. By granting provisional accreditation to our law school, the ABA is saying it believes in our bold new approach.”– G. Brint Ryan, Chairman, UNT System Board of Regents

“With the support of our community, faculty and students, the UNT Dallas College of Law has created a new and innovative approach to legal education. To its credit, the ABA Council viewed our application from that perspective. Now we can focus on serving Dallas, the region, and the entire state with a low-cost, high-quality, practice-oriented legal education that will support economic growth and opportunity for a broad and diverse and talented group of law students.” – Lee F. Jackson, Chancellor, UNT System

“This is an exciting milestone for our young university. As is the case with all of our academic programs, UNT Dallas College of Law pairs a high-quality educational experience with value-based tuition in order to minimize student debt and provide access to those from any socioeconomic background. We are the first and only accredited public University in the City of Dallas and now we have the first and only accredited public law school in Dallas.” – Bob Mong, President, UNT Dallas

“Our goal has always been to equip graduates with practice-ready competencies and the practical knowledge to pass the Texas Bar Exam. We now have a clear path to demonstrate that the innovative curriculum and the resources we’ve established will support exactly that kind of success.” – Royal Furgeson, Founding Dean, UNT Dallas College of Law

ABOUT THE UNT DALLAS COLLEGE OF LAW:
Based in Downtown Dallas, the UNT Dallas College of Law was founded in 2013 in order to open access to legal education to the growing Dallas-Fort Worth region and serve diverse, motivated individuals with potential to be effective lawyers serving the community. UNT Dallas College of Law is part of the University of North Texas at Dallas, the only public, accredited University located in the City of Dallas.

CONTACT:
Paul Corliss
Director of Communications
University of North Texas System
214.752.5985 or paul.corliss@untsystem.edu