Earlier this year, the Elon University School of Law received full accreditation from the American Bar Association, ABA.
The Law School was granted provisional approval in the summer of 2008. This allowed Elon Law's graduates to take the bar examinations in all 50 states, according to Alan Woodlief, associate dean of Elon University School of Law.
Full accreditation signifies that the law school's educational program, faculty, admissions, career services and other programs all met the ABA's rigorous standards.
Woodlief said he thinks students are pleased that their personal choice to attend Elon Law has been further validated by the ABA.
"In choosing Elon Law, our current and incoming students had already indicated their confidence in its educational program and excitement at being part of its commitment to preparing students to be lawyers and leaders in the profession and in society," he said. "The law school continues to promptly meet and exceed each benchmark along the way as it establishes a reputation for excellence in the Triad, around North Carolina and across the nation."
Some students have the opinion that the ABA's accreditation is just the final step in proving the assurance they already had in the school, said second year law student Brett Dewitt.
"When I was first looking at attending law school, there were some who had hinted that I made a gamble by enrolling in a law school that was not already fully accredited," he said. "After visiting Elon Law, talking to the professors and learning about the programs here, I never felt like I was risking anything."
Joe Fulton, third year law student, agrees.
"The accreditation is independent evidence of what the students, faculty, staff and administration have been saying all along about Elon Law School," he said. "That this school is committed to providing a rigorous, innovative and effective curriculum that opens doors for those looking to join the legal profession."
Fulton also said he has already been congratulated by several attorneys for what they recognized as a significant step in the life of the law school.
Some law students now have even higher hopes for internships, their job searches after graduation and their future careers, like second year law student Gwendolyn Lewis.
Lewis said she believes the accreditation will greatly impact her internship search because many internships require an applicant to attend a fully accredited law school.
Many also see the accreditation helping in the process of recruiting new students.
"This school as a whole is poised to have a very successful year recruiting new students as Elon Law adds full accreditation to its already impressive list of accomplishments," Fulton said. But it is not just the law school that is affected by the accreditation.
The accreditation also gives Elon University the distinction of being one of only seven private universities in the nation with accredited schools of law, business, communications and education along with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, according to Woodliek.
"The faculty, administration, staff and students at the law school are excited about being part of this exceptional university," Woodlief said.