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Newer law school in Florida gets provisional accreditation from the ABA

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 5, 2024, 11:12 am CST

A law school that opened in Jacksonville, Florida, in August 2022 has obtained provisional accreditation from the ABA, paving the way for its graduates to take the bar exam.

The ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar granted provisional accreditation to the Jacksonville University College of Law in Florida at a meeting Feb. 22 and 23, according to a section memo and a law school press release.

Law.com, Above the Law, the Florida Times-Union and Reuters have coverage.

The law school applied for accreditation in March 2023, the earliest possible date. The school’s inaugural August 2022 class had 14 law students, according to Reuters. The next year, 26 new students enrolled.

“We felt a heavy responsibility to pursue and attain accreditation before our inaugural students graduated,” said Nick Allard, the founding law dean, in the press release. “And we met that ambitious goal.”

Allard told the Florida Times-Union that provisional accreditation “is a very important, if not crucial, milestone,” and it is “a big, big deal.”

See also:

“Are more law schools needed in areas where InfiLaw campuses closed?”

“Florida mayor commits $5M in public funds to help open new law school”