Marilyn Odendahl for www.theindianalawyer.com
The American Bar Association has denied provisional accreditation to Indiana Tech Law School.
In a memorandum issued Tuesday, the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar rejected the application for provisional ABA approval from the two-year-old law school located in Fort Wayne. The council notified the school prior to the memorandum being issued.
“While we are disappointed not to receive accreditation at this time, we were encouraged that the Council narrowed the issue we need to focus on, and we believe that the Council ahs provided us with good feedback as we begin the reapplication process,†Indiana Tech Law School Dean Charles Cercone said.
The council heard a presentation by Cercone and other school officials during a meeting June 5 and 6 in Minneapolis. Details of that presentation have not been released but afterward, Indiana Tech described it as productive.
Indiana Tech Law School can appeal within 30 days. If filed in accordance with proper procedure, the appeal will be considered by an appeals panel, and the council’s decisions would be stayed pending the final outcome.
Cercone drew attention that Indiana Tech is not the only law school to be denied accreditation.
“Historically, several new law schools have not received accreditation on their first attempt, but am confident that with the input provided to us by the ABA we will move successfully towards accreditation,†Cercone said. “In the meantime, we continue to work as always with our students to provide them with a top-notch, career-focused legal education.â€
