How does the American Bar Association support law schools and legal education?

The American Bar Association (ABA) supports law schools and legal education mainly through three channels: it accredits law schools, it provides continuing legal education (CLE) for practicing lawyers and judges, and it runs programs that help lawyers and judges in their work. If you are choosing a law school, planning CLE, or trying to understand what ABA approval means, the sections below explain what each role covers and where it does not apply.

ABA accreditation of law schools

The ABA describes itself as accrediting law schools, alongside its work in continuing legal education and programs for lawyers and judges. Accreditation is the ABA function most directly tied to legal education: it is the mechanism through which a law school is recognized as meeting the ABA's standards.

What this means in practice depends on your situation:

• Prospective students: ABA accreditation is the signal that a J.D. program has been reviewed against national standards. If you intend to practice in a U.S. jurisdiction that requires graduation from an ABA-accredited school for bar admission, this status is the relevant one to check.
• Current students and graduates: Your school's accreditation status is a fact about the institution, not about you. It does not by itself determine bar eligibility — that depends on the rules of the jurisdiction where you apply.
• Schools and administrators: Accreditation is a continuing relationship with periodic review, not a one-time stamp.

The ABA's own description does not list specific accreditation standards, timelines, or fees, so treat those as details to confirm with the ABA's accreditation materials or the school directly rather than assuming them.

Continuing legal education (CLE)

The ABA provides continuing legal education, which is education for people already in the profession rather than for law students. CLE is generally how practicing lawyers and judges maintain and update their knowledge after law school.

Two things are worth separating:

1. The ABA as a CLE provider. The ABA offers CLE programming as part of its mission to assist lawyers and judges in their work.
2. CLE requirements as a licensing matter. Many jurisdictions require a certain number of CLE credits to maintain a license. Whether a given ABA program satisfies your jurisdiction's requirement is a question for your state or jurisdiction's rules, not something the ABA's general description settles.

If your goal is to meet a specific credit requirement, check the jurisdiction's approved-provider rules before enrolling, and confirm how the program reports attendance.

Programs for lawyers and judges

Beyond accreditation and CLE, the ABA states that it promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work. This is a broad category — professional support and programming rather than a single product. For law students, the practical relevance is usually indirect: these programs reflect the profession's expectations and can be a source of guidance and networking as you move from school into practice.

How to decide whether ABA resources matter to you

Practical next steps

• To check a school's status, start with the ABA's law school accreditation information and confirm with the school.
• To use CLE for credit, read your jurisdiction's requirements first, then match them to the program.
• To explore professional programs, browse the ABA's offerings for lawyers and judges and identify the one that matches your role.

One caveat throughout: the ABA's description establishes its roles — accreditation, CLE, and professional programs — but not the operational details. Deadlines, credit hours, eligibility, and costs are not specified there, so confirm them at the source before relying on them.