By Alex Christodoulides
The school now joins about 160 others that are also members of the association, which aims to improve the quality of legal education by networking law school faculty, professional staff and deans to information and resources, and is a widely respected society of scholars, CUNY Law School said in a statement.Admission to the Association of American Law Schools is based on rigorous review of all aspects of its programs, from admissions to academics to finances, according to executives from the association.”CUNY Law's membership in the Association of American Law Schools, which is the society of learned legal scholars, is strong validation of our commitment to research and writing that advances social justice for communities in need,” said CUNY Law School Dean Michelle Anderson.The news of the new honor comes on the heels of CUNY Law School's highest ever pass rate on the New York State Bar Exam, with 83 percent of test-takers passing in July 2007.CUNY Law School has also been asked to participate in a three-year study and panel, along with Georgetown, Harvard and New York University, to analyze and recommend changes in law school education. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Stanford Law School, which organized the study and sought out CUNY Law School after praising it as a model of integration of clinical education and doctrinal training, convened the panel for the first time in December.And in 2007 U.S. News & World Report ranked CUNY School of Law in the top 10 schools in the nation in its annual rankings of law schools for the quality of its law practice.Reach reporter Alex Christodoulides by e-mail at achristodoulides@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
