National Experts to Examine ABA Accreditation, Options and the Future of Legal Education

HOUSTON, June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The landscape of American Bar Association (ABA) law school accreditation is shifting as several states have reasserted their Supreme Court's authority over law school accreditation and explored expanding accreditation options for their state's law schools. Such a change raises important questions about the future of legal education and legal profession.

To examine these developments, legal scholars, educators, and leaders from across the nation will convene for a timely virtual program, "A Conversation on the Accreditation of Law Schools" The program will include updates about the current state ABA accreditation in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas; as well as presenting the institutional perspective and a critique evaluation of the ABA accreditation system.

The event, hosted by the Houston Bar Association, will feature 15 leading voices across the three panels:

• The Status of ABA Law School Accreditation in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas:
  • Leonard M. Baynes, Dean and Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Chair, and Professor of Law, University of Houston Law Center;
  • Haider Ala Hamoudi, Dean & Nippert Professor of Law, University of Cincinnati Donald P. Klekamp College of Law;
  • Blake Hudson, Dean and Ethel P. Malugen Chair of Law, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University;
  • Matthew Lyon, Vice President and Dean, Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University; and
  • Erin O'Hara O'Connor, Dean and Donald J. Weidner Chair, Florida State University College of Law.
• The Institutional Perspective on ABA Law School Accreditation:
  • Kellye Y. Testy, CEO & Executive Director, Association of American Law Schools;
  • Daniel R. Thies, Chair, Council of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar & Shareholder, Webber & Thies PC;
  • Fiona Trevelyan, President and CEO National Association for Law Placement Foundation.
• Critique of ABA Law School Accreditation:
  • Diversity
  • Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law;
  • Dennis Patterson, Board of Governors Professor of Law and Philosophy, Co-Director, Institute for Law and Philosophy at Rutgers University School of Law;
  • Antitrust
  • Darren Bush, Leonard B. Rosenberg Professor of Law at UHLC;
  • Harry First, Charles L. Denison Professor of Law Emeritus at New York University School of Law;
  • Other Issues
  • Todd J. Clark, Dean & professor of law at Delaware Law School, Widener University;
  • David Yellen, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law, University of Miami School of Law.

Co-conveners include the Austin Bar Association, Broward County Bar Association, Cincinnati Bar Association, Cleveland Bar Association, Dallas Bar Association, San Antonio Bar Association, Tarrant County Bar Association and Toledo Bar Association; as well as the Florida State University College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, Samford University Cumberland School of Law, South Texas College of Law Houston, St. Mary's University School of Law, University of Cincinnati Donald P. Klekamp College of Law, the University of Houston Law Center, Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law and the UNT Dallas College of Law.

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: "A Conversation on the Accreditation of Law Schools," a virtual program on law school accreditation from several perspectives.

WHO: Fifteen leaders in legal education, including Kellye Y. Testy, CEO and executive director of the Association of American Law Schools, and Dean Erwin Chemerinsky from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and Daniel Thies, Chair, Council of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Credit: Attendees are eligible to receive:

• Three hours of continuing legal education credit (Texas).
• Three General Credit Hours (Ohio).
• Certificates of attendance for attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions.

WHEN: 2-5 p.m. Central Time, Monday, June 29, 2026

WHERE: Online via Zoom

Click here to register

For more information, visit: A Conversation on the Accreditation of Law Schools | University of Houston Law Center

Media Contact:

For more information, please contact Maggie Martin, HBA Director of Marketing and Communications, 713-759-1133, [email protected], Carrie Anna Criado, UH Law Center Assistant Dean of Communications and Marketing, 713-743-2184, [email protected] or Rashda Khan, Communications Director, 325-656-2824, [email protected].

About the Houston Bar Association

The Houston Bar Association is a nonprofit professional organization for attorneys that provides education and service programs for the legal profession and the community. With over 10,000 members, the HBA is one of the largest metropolitan bar associations in the nation.

About the University of Houston Law Center

The University of Houston Law Center (UHLC) is a dynamic, top-tier law school located in the nation's 4th largest city. U.S. News & World Report ranked the Law Center No. 54 overall among law schools nationwide and ranked UHLC's Health Law, Intellectual Property and Information Law, and Part-time programs in the Top 10. The Law Center is ranked #9 among U.S. law schools for return on investment (ROI) by LawCrossing and in the ABA Journal. It awards Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees, through its academic branch, the College of Law. The Law Center is more than just a law school. It is a powerful hub of intellectual activity with more than 12 centers and institutes that fuel its educational mission and national reputation. UHLC is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter for excellence in undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse regions in the country, UH is a federally designated Hispanic- and Asian American-Serving institution with an enrollment of more than 47,000 students.

SOURCE University of Houston Law Center