Massachusetts School of Law
Encyclopedia
The Massachusetts School of Law is a law school located 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.
for admission. However, MSL administers its own examination (MSLAT) similar to the LSAT, requires letters of recommendations, and interviews every applicant for admission. Graduates are eligible to take the Massachusetts
and Connecticut
Bar Examinations immediately upon graduation. After passing either of those bar exams, graduates are then eligible to take the bar exam in NH, WI, VT, ME, CA, DC, MD, and WV. Graduates may also seek admission to the bars of many other states after practicing for 3–5 years (see local rules for bar admission).
, but is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
(NEASC).In 1990, the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education authorized MSL to grant the Juris Doctor
degree. MSL 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. MSL refused to comply with these standards, and the ABA refused to approve the school. As a result of its actions the MSL and Department of Justice
filed complaints against the ABA for antitrust violations. The summary judgment
dismissing the MSL complaint was granted to the ABA on the trial level and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
affirmed in 107 F.3d 1026
. 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 reform its accreditation process and eliminate some of its law school accreditation standards.
Among the standards used in that process were several related to student
-faculty ratio
. Under its standards in effect at that time, the ABA refused to count most of MSL’s full-time professors who also maintained a relationship with a law firm or who continued to practice law, or any of MSL's 85 adjunct faculty members in computing its student-faculty ratio (a standard that has since been changed as a result of the Department of Justice
's antitrust action
against the American Bar Association). In 1997, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
(NEASC) awarded accreditation to MSL. Many of its graduates now practice law throughout New England
and California.
The school continues to criticize ABA standards that it fails to meet, and encourages the Department of Education
to strip the ABA of its authority over other law schools. On December 4, 2006, Massachusetts School of Law officials asked a Department of Education committee to limit the authority of the ABA, complaining that the ABA's process was harmful to minorities and low-income students and needlessly drove up the cost of legal education. This action followed the publication of a DoE report that was critical of accrediting agencies for being overly concerned about financial and procedural issues and inadequately concerned about the school's success at educating its graduates.
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
. It was founded in 1988, and claims that its design and curriculum were influenced by the medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
educational model and legal scholars.
Admission and academics
Students at Massachusetts School of Law learn to practice law through classroom instruction, simulated client experiences, and numerous live client experiences. MSL does not require the LSATLaw School Admission Test
The Law School Admission Test is a half-day standardized test administered four times each year at designated testing centers throughout the world. Administered by the Law School Admission Council for prospective law school candidates, the LSAT is designed to assess Reading Comprehension,...
for admission. However, MSL administers its own examination (MSLAT) similar to the LSAT, requires letters of recommendations, and interviews every applicant for admission. Graduates are eligible to take the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
Bar Examinations immediately upon graduation. After passing either of those bar exams, graduates are then eligible to take the bar exam in NH, WI, VT, ME, CA, DC, MD, and WV. Graduates may also seek admission to the bars of many other states after practicing for 3–5 years (see local rules for bar admission).
Accreditation
The Massachusetts School of Law has failed to win accreditation by the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, but is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
(NEASC).In 1990, the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education authorized MSL to grant the Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree. MSL 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
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
laws, and needlessly increase tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
costs. MSL refused to comply with these standards, and the ABA refused to approve the school. As a result of its actions the MSL and Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
filed complaints against the ABA for antitrust violations. The summary judgment
Summary judgment
In law, a summary judgment is a determination made by a court without a full trial. Such a judgment may be issued as to the merits of an entire case, or of specific issues in that case....
dismissing the MSL complaint was granted to the ABA on the trial level and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
affirmed in 107 F.3d 1026
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
. The case brought by DOJ was later settled by way of a consent decree between the ABA and the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
in which the ABA agreed to reform its accreditation process and eliminate some of its law school accreditation standards.
Among the standards used in that process were several related to student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
-faculty ratio
Ratio
In mathematics, a ratio is a relationship between two numbers of the same kind , usually expressed as "a to b" or a:b, sometimes expressed arithmetically as a dimensionless quotient of the two which explicitly indicates how many times the first number contains the second In mathematics, a ratio is...
. Under its standards in effect at that time, the ABA refused to count most of MSL’s full-time professors who also maintained a relationship with a law firm or who continued to practice law, or any of MSL's 85 adjunct faculty members in computing its student-faculty ratio (a standard that has since been changed as a result of the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
's antitrust action
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against the American Bar Association). In 1997, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
(NEASC) awarded accreditation to MSL. Many of its graduates now practice law throughout New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and California.
The school continues to criticize ABA standards that it fails to meet, and encourages the Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
to strip the ABA of its authority over other law schools. On December 4, 2006, Massachusetts School of Law officials asked a Department of Education committee to limit the authority of the ABA, complaining that the ABA's process was harmful to minorities and low-income students and needlessly drove up the cost of legal education. This action followed the publication of a DoE report that was critical of accrediting agencies for being overly concerned about financial and procedural issues and inadequately concerned about the school's success at educating its graduates.
Notable alumni
- Patrick Rahilly
- Steve McKinley
- Steven A. Baddour, (1996), Massachusetts State SenatorMassachusetts SenateThe Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
(served 2002 - present) - David G. Baker (graduated 1996), first graduate of the school to argue a case before the United States Supreme Court: "Marrama v. Citizens Bank of Massachusetts and DeGiacomo"
- Arthur J. Broadhurst, (1991), member of the Mass. House of RepresentativesMassachusetts House of RepresentativesThe Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
(served 1993 - 2007) - Barry FinegoldBarry FinegoldBarry R. Finegold is a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate representing the Second Essex and Middlesex district. He has served since January 2011...
, member of the Mass. House of RepresentativesMassachusetts House of RepresentativesThe Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
(served 1996 - present) - Gregory G. Carson, (2007), Asst. Majority Leader, New Hampshire House of RepresentativesNew Hampshire House of RepresentativesThe New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 103 districts across the state, created from divisions of the state's counties. On average, each legislator represents about 3,300...
(served 1994 - 2000) - Sylvan A. Lashley, (2006), President (1996–2003), Atlantic Union CollegeAtlantic Union CollegeAtlantic Union College was a Seventh-day Adventist college in South Lancaster, Massachusetts. Its final year operating as an independent institution was the 2010-2011 school year following loss of accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges...
Sources
- Massachusetts School of Law
- "Antitrust Division: Antitrust Case Filings: Massachusetts School of Law at Andover, Inc. v. American Bar Association", US Department of Justice.
- Barron's Guide To Law Schools, 16th edition.