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Abstract

The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) is a nonprofit educational organization that has as its purpose "the improvement of the legal profession through legal education." The AALS was formed in 1900, under the auspices of the American Bar Association (ABA). The AALS is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the national accrediting agency for law schools. AALS members are required to meet standards of accreditation promulgated by the Association. Of the 181 ABA-approved law schools in this country, 160 have met these standards and have become members of the AALS. The AALS serves the legal community as a learned society of law school teachers, and it is legal education's principal representative to the federal government and to other higher education organizations and learned societies. The AALS is committed to ensuring the success of clinical legal education because clinical instruction is an important component of the overall education of our nation's future lawyers. The AALS understands that three business groups have requested that this Court investigate Tulane Law School's Environmental Law Clinic and modify the Court's existing student practice rule. These groups seek to address situations they view as problematic, including: "students being empowered with all the rights of a fully qualified member of the Louisiana Bar;" ". . . legal views [that] are in direct conflict with business positions;" and "violation[s] of both the spirit and the letter of [the student practice rule]." One group has also recommended ten specific amendments to the present student practice rule, such as limiting the types of clients that law school clinics may represent, requiring representation of other clients, and limiting the supervisory powers of clinical faculty. In addition to these proposals to the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Governor and the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Economic Development have also issued very public criticisms of Tulane Law School's Environmental Law Clinic. Disturbingly, the Secretary has been quoted as stating that he intends "to use every legitimate method at [his] command to defeat" the clinic, and he has accused faculty in that clinic of merely "indulging in an 'amusing' academic exercise."

Publication Title

Clinical Law Review

Volume

4

Issue

2

First Page

539

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