New Program to Verify Accuracy of Law School Data

Several law schools have in the last year been found to be doctoring the statistics about their entering classes, trying to make the incoming students look more impressive so that their institutions would rise in the rankings. Now the American Bar Association and the Law School Admission Council have announced a new program in which they will verify the accuracy of such data. The groups will compare data from various sources to provide an assurance that law schools are being truthful. "Many schools have expressed an interest in such a program," said John O’Brien, chair of the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. "In an environment where the actions of a few schools have raised questions in the minds of some about the integrity of data reporting by law schools more generally, this program gives schools a straightforward and efficient method to have their admissions data verified."