FIU College of Law admitted into prestigious group


MIAMI – The Florida International University College of Law achieved a historic benchmark last month when it was formally inducted into the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) at that organization’s annual meeting in San Diego.

With admission into this selective organization, the College of Law, established in August 2002, becomes the 171st law school to receive the coveted AALS recognition.

Having achieved full accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA) just four years after opening its doors, the earliest possible date under ABA rules, the FIU College of Law was awarded AALS membership within that organization’s shortest possible time frame, as well.

“We are very pleased with the AALS vote for our law school which – though less than seven years old – has in recent years received recognition nationally for the quality of its students, faculty, and programs,” said College of Law Dean Leonard Strickman.

The Executive Committee of the AALS recognized the College of Law’s many strengths including its culture of scholarship, emphasis on excellent teaching, innovative transnational curriculum, and superb new facilities.

AALS membership is the culmination of a rigorous application process that looks at key aspects of a law school’s operation – from the breadth of the curriculum to the quality of its faculty, scholarship and students, including the diversity of those students and faculty members.

The AALS, founded in 1900, is a non-profit association of law schools that seeks to improve the legal profession through legal education.

The accreditation is the latest accomplishment of the FIU College of Law. Most recently, its graduates placed first among the state’s 10 law schools on the February 2007 bar exam and second for all of 2008. Both its trial and negotiation teams from the College of Law also were named the Southeast Regional Champions in national competitions in the past year.

Media Contact: Jean-Paul Renaud at 305-348-2716 or jprenaud@fiu.edu.              

-FIU-

About FIU College of Law

The Florida International University College of Law meets an important need in the community by providing a quality, affordable legal education for South Florida residents. The student body, while principally from South Florida, is diverse in racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds.  FIU College of Law graduates have passed the Florida Bar Exam at rates exceeding the statewide pass rate.  At the most recent examination, in July 2008, FIU graduates passed at the second highest rate when compared to graduates from all law schools in the state of Florida.

About FIU:

Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will welcome its first class in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association

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