Correspondance from Dean Goplerud:
We have received the Decision Letter from the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (Council) indicating that Florida Coastal School of Law (Florida Coastal) is currently out of compliance with Accreditation Standard 316 for the 2017 graduation cohort.
This Standard, which went into effect last year, applies retroactively and thus sweeps the 2017 cohort into its ambit. Significantly, the Council has provided a key guideline for Standard 316’s application. Specifically, it notes that a law school “can demonstrate compliance . . . by providing information showing that at least 75 percent of the Law School’s graduates in a subsequent year (2018 or 2019) have passed a bar examination.” The information also must show the percentage will remain at 75% at the end of the two-year period.
This guideline is especially relevant for Florida Coastal, because 75% of graduates in the 2018 cohort have passed the bar examination – thus meeting Standard 316’s terms. (The 2019 cohort in the meantime is on track for compliance). Given these facts, Florida Coastal will be seeking an expedited decision from the Council regarding compliance.
Florida Coastal has been asked to provide additional information supporting compliance with Standard 316 by February 1, 2021. The Council will consider the written report at its February 2021 meeting — earlier if our request for an expedited decision is granted. Central to the report will be information demonstrating that Coastal’s 2018 and (presumably) 2019 cohorts are in compliance with Standard 316. If the Council is satisfied with the submission, it will find the school in compliance with the Standard. If the Council has any concerns, the school will appear at a hearing in May 2021.