The
legal
profession
talks
a
big
game
about
access
to
justice,
but
that
promise
doesn’t
mean
much
if
the
path
to
becoming
a
lawyer
remains
narrow,
expensive,
and
opaque.
That’s
why
the
new
preLaw
Magazine
Justice
&
Opportunity
Honor
Roll
is
worth
a
closer
look.
Instead
of
obsessing
over
the
usual
metrics
—
LSAT
medians,
employment
stats,
or
prestige
signaling
—
the
list
highlights
law
schools
actually
working
to
widen
the
pipeline
into
the
profession
through
admissions
innovation,
affordability
efforts,
flexible
program
design,
and
meaningful
support
for
students
once
they
arrive.
Because
if
the
legal
system
is
supposed
to
serve
everyone,
the
profession
itself
needs
to
start
looking
a
lot
more
like
the
communities
it
represents.
The Justice
&
Opportunity
Honor
Roll
lists
the
law
schools
that
are
doing
their
best
to
expand
access
to
legal
education,
highlighting
schools
that
have
created
innovative
pathways
into
the
legal
profession.
Here’s
the
methodology
that
was
used:
preLaw
invited
law
schools
to
submit
information
about
initiatives,
partnerships
or
strategies
that
reflect
the
mission
of
expanding
access
to
legal
education.
Schools
were
evaluated
based
on
the
scope
and
maturity
of
their
efforts,
including
evidence
of
scale,
longevity
and
measurable
impact
where
available.
Institutions
designated
as A demonstrate
multiple,
well-established
access
strategies
that
work
together
to
lower
barriers
to
entry
and
persistence.
Schools
recognized
at
the A- level
meet
the
Honor
Roll
criteria
through
defined
initiatives,
with
distinctions
reflecting
breadth
and
scale
rather
than
quality.
The
Honor
Roll
is
not
a
ranking,
but
a
recognition
of
meaningful
action
at
a
moment
when
access
pathways
matter
more
than
ever.
Without
further
ado,
according
to
preLaw
magazine,
these
are
the
law
schools
that
earned
A
grades
for
their
efforts
to
expand
access
to
legal
education
(listed
in
alphabetical
order):
-
CUNY
School
of
Law -
Elon
University -
Georgetown
University -
Gonzaga
University -
Lewis
&
Clark
Law
School -
Lincoln
Memorial
University -
Loyola
University
New
Orleans -
Mitchell
Hamline -
Purdue
Global
Law
School -
Roger
Williams
University -
Seattle
University -
South
Texas
Houston -
Southwestern
Law
School -
St.
Mary’s
University -
Suffolk
University -
Touro
Law -
University
at
Buffalo -
University
of
Arkansas
at
Little
Rock -
University
of
Houston -
University
of
Tennessee -
Widener
University
Commonwealth
Click here to
see
the
rest
of
the
Honor
Roll.
Congratulations
to
all
of
the
law
schools
that
made
the
cut
for
this
important
list.
Law
schools
expanding
access
lead
preLaw’s
Justice
&
Opportunity
Honor
Roll
[preLaw
magazine
/
National
Jurist]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to email her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
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on LinkedIn.