ABA Proposes to Increase the Number of Required Experiential Learning Credits

The ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has proposed to increase the number of required experiential learning credits from 6 to 12.  (here)  All written comments should be addressed to David A. Brennen, Council Chair, and must be sent electronically as a .pdf attachment to [email protected] by June 30, 2025, at 5 pm Central Time.

"The Standards Committee recommends that the Council approve for Notice and Comment revisions to Standards 303, 304, and 311 as shown in the redlined revisions on pages 11-14 that will increase the number of required experiential learning credit hours from 6 to 12, require at least 3 of those credits to be in a clinic or field placement, and not permit any experiential learning credit hours earned in the first one-third of a law student’s program of legal education to count towards the 12 required credit hours."

 "the Standards Committee incorporated the following as its working principle related to preparation for practice: a law school’s program of legal education should prepare its graduates with the knowledge and skills that, when combined with thoroughness and preparation, allow a newly licensed lawyer to perform common entry-level tasks safely without supervision."

"Legal education would not stand alone in requiring additional experiential education and practice under supervision for a professional degree. In fact, legal education is significantly behind other professions that require experiential learning. The medical, veterinary, pharmacy, dentistry, social work, architecture, and nursing professions each require significantly more experiential learning than legal education currently does."

Scott Fruehwald