Massachusetts School of Law

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Coordinates: 42°45′35.53″N 71°08′50.86″W / 42.7598694°N 71.1474611°W / 42.7598694; -71.1474611
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Not to be confused with University of Massachusetts School of Law.
Massachusetts School of Law
Established1988
School typePrivate law school
DeanMichael L. Coyne [1]
LocationAndover, Massachusetts, United States
USNWR ranking(unranked)
Bar pass rate73% (February 2024 first time takers)[2]
Websitemslaw.edu

The Massachusetts School of Law (MSLAW) is a private law school in Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1988 and claims that its design and curriculum were influenced by the medical school educational model and legal scholars.[3][4] Although it is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, it is not accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).

The MSLAW bar passage rate for July 2022 first-time takers was 35%, compared to an average 81% from all Massachusetts law schools.[5]

Unlike law schools accredited by the ABA, MSLAW does not report employment outcomes for its graduates. MSLAW also does not consider LSAT scores in its admission process.

Accreditation[edit]

The Massachusetts School of Law is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.[6] It is currently unaccredited by the American Bar Association.[7]

In 1990, the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education authorized MSL to grant the Juris Doctor degree. MSLAW subsequently applied for American Bar Association approval while filing an action in Federal Court in Philadelphia challenging some of the ABA's accreditation standards, arguing that those standards are of questionable educational value, violate antitrust laws, and needlessly increase tuition costs. MSLAW refused to comply with these standards, and the ABA refused to approve the school. As a result of its actions the MSLAW and the Department of Justice filed complaints against the ABA for antitrust violations. The summary judgment dismissing the MSLAW complaint on immunity grounds was granted to the ABA on the trial level and affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[8] The case brought by DOJ was later settled by way of a consent decree between the ABA and the United States Department of Justice in which the ABA agreed to modify its accreditation process and eliminate some of its law school accreditation standards that violated antitrust laws and were outdated.[9] The school continues to criticize ABA standards that it fails to meet, and encourage the Department of Education to strip the ABA of its authority over other law schools.[10]

Admission and academics[edit]

Students at Massachusetts School of Law learn to practice law through classroom instruction, simulated client experiences, and numerous live client experiences. MSLAW does not require the LSAT for admission. However, MSLAW administers its own examination (MSLAT) similar to the LSAT, requires letters of recommendation, and interviews every applicant for admission.

Post-graduation employment prospects[edit]

Unlike ABA-accredited law schools, MSLAW does not publish employment statistics for its graduates.

When asked about the employment outcomes of MSLAW graduates in 2012, Dean Lawrence Velvel said, "I have no idea. We have never collected statistics on any of that, so we don't have any notion."[11]

Costs[edit]

Tuition for full-time students at MSLAW for the 2022-2023 academic year is $25,950.[12]

American College of History & Legal Studies[edit]

The American College of History & Legal Studies (ACHLS) was a completion college in Salem, New Hampshire, which operated from 2010 to 2015.[13]

Administrators at the Massachusetts School of Law were inspired to start the college due to concerns about students entering the law school with poor writing skills and American history knowledge.[14][15] The goal was for the undergraduate college to serve as a feeder school for the law school.[15][16] It received state accreditation by a unanimous vote of the New Hampshire Senate.[17]

Billed as a "fast track to law school," ACHLS offered students transferring in from other institutions a program that combined the final two years of their B.A. with a J.D.[18][16] Articulation agreements were signed with nearby New Hampshire Technical Institute and Mount Wachusett Community College to help students transfer to ACHLS.[19][20] After finishing their junior year at ACHLS, students could begin their first year at the Massachusetts School of Law.[14]

Designed to be low-cost, the college's tuition was $10,000 USD for the 2010-2011 academic year, and was eliminated in 2011 for students who completed their junior year and enrolled early at the law school at regular cost.[21][22][18] Students who chose not to enroll at the law school were billed for their senior year at ACHLS.[23]

ACHLS closed after graduating three small classes. Its alumni include at least one elected official.[24]

Notable alumni[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Message from the Dean". Massachusetts School of Law. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  2. ^ "February 2024 Massachusetts Bar Examination Results by Law Schools". COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS.
  3. ^ Coyne, Michael (2011-04-11). "Law school for the white and wealthy". National Law Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  4. ^ Tamanaha, Brian Z. Failing Law Schools. Chicago Series in Law and Society. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  5. ^ "July 2022 Massachusetts Bar Examination Results by Law Schools". COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  6. ^ "Accreditation & Bar Eligibility". Archived from the original on 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
  7. ^ "Alphabetical School List". ABA. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  8. ^ "107 F.3d 1026". law.resource.org. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  9. ^ "Competitive Impact Statement". www.justice.gov. 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  10. ^ Pfeiffer, Sacha (2006-12-05). "Mass. School of Law urges US to reduce clout of Bar". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2006-12-05.
  11. ^ "A Fast-Track To Law School". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Affordable Tuition". Massachusetts School of Law. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  13. ^ "The American College of History and Legal Studies". The American College of History and Legal Studies. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
  14. ^ a b "Opening Doors". Retrieved 2017-08-12.
  15. ^ a b Ramer, Holly (11 October 2010). "Law school seeks to foster recruits with new college". Stevens Point Journal. Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  16. ^ a b Jaschik, Scott (15 June 2009). "A College for History Only". Inside Higher Ed. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on 17 June 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  17. ^ "New Hampshire Senate Bill 312". New Hampshire Liberty Alliance. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-02.
  18. ^ a b Rich-Kern, Sheryl. "A Fast-Track to Law School". Retrieved 2017-08-12.
  19. ^ "Transfer Articulation Agreements". NHTI.edu. New Hampshire Technical Institute. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Mount Wachusett Community College and American College of History and Legal Studies Bachelor of Arts/Juris Doctorate Articulation Agreement" (PDF). MWCC.edu. Mount Wachusett Community College. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  21. ^ "There's one college that ensures passage to an award-winning law school". Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Introducing free tuition". Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  23. ^ "American College of History and Legal Studies Announces Tuition-Free Education". Business NH Magazine. Manchester, New Hampshire. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Dan Ryan '13 – Massachusetts State Rep for the 2nd Suffolk District!". Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-02.

External links[edit]

42°45′35.53″N 71°08′50.86″W / 42.7598694°N 71.1474611°W / 42.7598694; -71.1474611

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