Michael S. Greco
Past President, American Bar Association
Kosovo Bar and Legal education Roundtable:
Establishing Relations & Activities Between Bar and Legal Education Providers
Pristina, Kosovo
June 19, 2008
The creation of the American Bar Association was motivated in large
measure by the need to establish high standards for legal education in America.
When the ABA was formed in Saratoga, New York, in August 1878, one of the
first standing committees created was the Committee on Legal Education and
Admissions to the Bar. This is an indication of the importance and priority that
the ABA placed on the highest standards for legal education – for the protection
the public and the legal profession itself.
When the ABA was formed written bar examinations were just coming into
use – though required by most states, the bar examination previously had been
primarily oral and informal.
Thus, the two subjects -- legal education and
admissions to the bar -- were coupled from the ABA’s very founding and they
remain so today, 130 years later.
At its 1893 Annual Meeting
the ABA created its first Section – not
surprisingly, the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Today,
members of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
comprise a 10,000 member group of practicing lawyers, law professors and
judges who strive to improve legal education and lawyer licensing by fostering
cooperation among legal educators, practitioners and judges through workshops,
conferences and publications.
The American Bar Association is the sole authority in the US for
determining whether existing law schools, and newly formed ones, are deemed
accredited. The Section – through its Accreditation Committee and its Section
Council – determines law schools’ adherence with the American Bar
Association’s Standards for Approval of Law Schools and recommends the
accreditation of law schools by the Association.
The Section also studies and
makes recommendations for the improvement of bar admissions processes.
The Mission of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the
Bar is to be a creative national force in providing leadership and services to those
responsible for and those who benefit from a sound program of legal education
and bar admissions. The ABA has developed and maintains the Standards for
Approval of Law Schools by which law schools are judged. These standards are
founded primarily on the fact that law schools are the gateway to the legal
profession.
The ABA Standards for Approval are minimum requirements designed,
developed, and implemented for the purpose of advancing the basic goal of
providing a sound program of legal education that will prepare students to
practice law in the United States. The graduates of ABA-approved law schools
can become members of the bar in all United States jurisdictions, representing all
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KOSOVO BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE
ESTABLISHING RELATIONS & ACTIVITIES BETWEEN KOSOVO’S BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS
PRISTINA, KOSOVO
Remarks
Michael S. Greco, Past President of the American Bar Association
June 2008
members of the public in important interests.
Therefore, an ABA-approved law
school must provide an opportunity for its students to study in a diverse
educational environment, and in order to protect the interests of the public, the
law students, and the profession, the law school must provide an educational
program that ensures that its graduates:
(1) understand their ethical responsibilities as representatives of clients,
officers of the courts, and public citizens who are responsible for the quality and
availability of justice;
(2) receive basic education through a curriculum that develops:
(a) an understanding of the theory, role and ramifications of the law
and its institutions;
(b) skills of legal analysis, reasoning, and problem solving; oral and
written communication; legal research; and other fundamental skills
necessary to participate effectively in the legal profession;
(c) an understanding of the basic principles of public and private
law; and
(3) understand that the law is a noble and ethical profession that requires
its members to provide pro bono legal services to persons who are unable to pay
for them.
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KOSOVO BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE
ESTABLISHING RELATIONS & ACTIVITIES BETWEEN KOSOVO’S BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS
PRISTINA, KOSOVO
Remarks
Michael S. Greco, Past President of the American Bar Association
June 2008
The Importance of Diversity in the Legal Profession
The subject of diversity and strengthening the ABA’s commitment to improving
minority representation in the profession is never far from our thoughts in legal
education. Some statistics on minority and gender enrollment in US law schools:
o Gender Enrollment Statistics:
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In 1947-1948, 96.7% of the total enrollment of US law students
were men; 3.3% were women;
ƒ
In 2007-2008, 53.3% of the total enrollment of US law students
were men; 46.7% were women.
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For nearly the past 25 years, women have made up at least 40% of
the total enrollment of US law students.
o Minority Enrollment Statistics:
ƒ
In 1971-1972, 6.1% of the total enrollment of US law students were
ethnic minorities;
ƒ
In 2007-2008, 21.6% of the total enrollment of US law students
were ethnic minorities;
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KOSOVO BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE
ESTABLISHING RELATIONS & ACTIVITIES BETWEEN KOSOVO’S BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS
PRISTINA, KOSOVO
Remarks
Michael S. Greco, Past President of the American Bar Association
June 2008
ƒ
For the past 10 years, ethnic minorities have comprised about 20%
of the total enrollment of US law students.
The goal is to ensure that the next generation of our profession reflects the wide
diversity of the people who comprise society; and that it is well prepared to provide
the leaders and counselors that society needs.
The objective is to exert all influences to build better working relationships among
and between law schools, supreme courts, and bar admission authorities. The
Kosovo Chamber of Advocates (KCA) is obligated to look firmly to its future and to
the future of legal education in Kosovo.
It is in the KCA’s best interest to assist the Univeristy of Pristina (UP) Law
Faculty to develop the very best possible program for legal education. The UP Law
Faculty ia also obligated to look firmly to its future in continuing to provide quality
legal education to supply the needs of the people of Kosovo.
It is in the best interest of both KCA and the UP Faculty of Law to provide the
best educated and most qualified law students today who will become the
practitioners, civil servants, government officials, and professors of the future.
This is why today I encourage you, the leaders and representatives of the legal
education profession and the members of the bar, to continue to work together to
find ways to collaborate and assist each other in your efforts to improve legal
education, and to mprove our profession. I strongly fecommend the creation of a
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KOSOVO BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE
ESTABLISHING RELATIONS & ACTIVITIES BETWEEN KOSOVO’S BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS
PRISTINA, KOSOVO
Remarks
Michael S. Greco, Past President of the American Bar Association
June 2008
Joint Working Group or Roundtable to address the legal education issues that we
discuss this morning.
The American Bar Association, and I personally, will continue to help your efforts
in every way possible.
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KOSOVO BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE
ESTABLISHING RELATIONS & ACTIVITIES BETWEEN KOSOVO’S BAR AND LEGAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS
PRISTINA, KOSOVO
Remarks
Michael S. Greco, Past President of the American Bar Association
June 2008