JULY 25, 2005 -- Charleston School of Law, which
is not affiliated with any other institution, is located in a
24,000-square-foot former train depot building at 81 Mary St.
In October, the ABA will visit the school as part of the process
to obtain provisional accreditation, the first step in achieving
full accreditation. Full accreditation must be obtained within
five years after provisional status is granted, however, a provisional
designation does allow students to take the Bar exam. Provisional
accreditation is not issued to schools during their first year
of operation.
The ABA site visit will be an arduous process, says [Dean Richard]
Gershon, who helped Texas Wesleyan School of Law obtain its accreditation.
“They sit in on classes. They talk to students and look
at our admissions files. They’ll look at our financial records.
It’s pretty thorough,” Gershon says.
One of the ABA’s top concerns deals with consumer protection.
“They want to see we’re accepting people who have the
ability to pass law school and the Bar. Otherwise, people would
be incurring debt with no chance of becoming a lawyer,” Gershon
says.
Charleston School of Law has that base covered, Gershon says.
Of the school’s first class of full-time students, the 75th
percentile LSAT score was 155, meaning 25% scored higher than
155. The 25th percentile was 150, meaning the bottom quarter had
a LSAT score of 150 or lower. LSAT scores range from 120 to 180.
The national average is 151. The students’ GPAs are similarly
strong, he says.
As for the incoming class: “Their stats are even higher,”
Gershon says. “We have better scores than a good percentage
of ABA-approved schools.”
