University of St. Thomas School of Law Professor Jerry Organ has been appointed to a Special Advisory Committee by the American Bar Association (ABA), the national accreditor of law schools. The committee of state supreme court justices, law school deans and prominent legal scholars will assist the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar in reviewing its Standards for the Approval of Law Schools.
“This committee will be guided by our recently adopted Core Principles and Values and will focus on ensuring that the council’s standards enable law schools to innovate and provide a quality legal education without imposing needless burdens or costs,” said Council Chair Daniel Thies.
The committee will assist the council in its work by helping to prioritize which standards should be reviewed and gathering information from key constituencies to provide counsel on what changes to the standards are appropriate.
The ABA noted that the greater inclusion and transparency in standards revisions will enhance the council’s valuable work in helping to ensure that state courts admit graduates who are prepared to be effective, ethical, and responsible members of the legal profession.
Advisory committee members:
- Dean Kerry Abrams, Duke University School of Law
- Chief Justice Megan K. Cavanagh, Michigan Supreme Court
- Dean Anthony W. Crowell, New York Law School
- Chief Justice Matthew Fader, Supreme Court of Maryland
- Justice Rebeca A. Huddle, Supreme Court of Texas
- Chief Justice Steven R. Jensen, South Dakota Supreme Court
- Dean David H. Moore, Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School
- Dean Cynthia Nance, University of Arkansas School of Law
- Dean Erin O’Hara O’Connor, Florida State University College of Law
- Professor Jerry Organ, University of St. Thomas (MN) School of Law
- Justice David Overstreet, Supreme Court of Illinois
- Augustin “Augie” Rivera, Jr., chair, Texas Board of Law Examiners and General Counsel, Del Mar College District
- Professor Kevin K. Washburn, University of California-Berkeley School of Law
- Professor David Yellen, University of Miami School of Law
Jerry Organ is the Bakken Professor of Law and co-director of the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. The center is a national leader in innovative interdisciplinary research, curriculum development and programs on the topic of professional identity formation, for law students and other disciplines. Throughout his career, Organ has been an advocate for law student well-being. He was a co-investigator on the first multi-law school study to assess alcohol and drug use among law students. He has also done extensive research on the financial aspects of the decision to attend law school, as well as analyzing enrollment, attrition and transfer trends among law students and employment and salary data of graduates. Organ was named one of National Jurist’s Most Influential People in Legal Education in 2012, 2014 and 2024.
