BOISE, Idaho — The Concordia University School of Law in Boise has been granted full accreditation by the American Bar Association, the body that oversees standards for law schools nationwide.
A spokesman for the school released a statement Friday night announcing the association's decision.
Concordia Law welcomed its first class of 75 students in 2012, and received a three-year provisional accreditation from the ABA in 2015. The school is affiliated with Concordia Unversity-Portland, which first announced plans in 2007 for what became the first three-year law school in Boise.
Since receiving provisional accreditation, Concordia has had to continue to meet educational standards on legal matters set by the association.
During the law school accreditation process, the ABA looks at a range of factors, including graduation rates, admission standards, faculty retention, bar exam passage rates and employment after graduation.
Students who took the bar exam in February 2018 reached 90.9 percent bar passage rate, far above the overall statewide rate of 69.4 percent. School officials say Concordia also has the top employment rate in Idaho for law students after graduation.
“This is terrific news for the university, its faculty, the students and alumni of Concordia University School of Law,” said Elena Langan, the Concordia School of Law dean, in a written statement. “We have been working diligently toward this goal for several years and earning full accreditation by the ABA underscores our deep commitment to providing quality legal education and graduating students who not only become excellent attorneys, but leaders in their communities.”
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“Full approval by the American Bar Association strengthens and affirms the university’s commitment to prepare caring legal professionals who display humility, courage, and faith," said Johnnie Driessner, interim president of Concordia University-Portland.
