Arizona Summit Law School
Parent schoolInfiLaw System
Established2005 (2005) –
2018 (2018)
School typeFor profit law school
DeanPenny Willrich
LocationPhoenix, Arizona, USA
33°26′55″N 112°04′24″W / 33.448563°N 112.073199°W / 33.448563; -112.073199
Enrollment(defunct)
Faculty(defunct)
USNWR ranking(defunct)
Bar pass rate20.1%[1]
Websitewww.azsummitlaw.edu

The Arizona Summit Law School was a for-profit law school in Phoenix, Arizona, that operated from 2005 to 2018. The law school was known until 2013 as the Phoenix School of Law, and was a part of the InfiLaw System of independent, for-profit law schools, which includes Florida Coastal School of Law and Charlotte School of Law, owned by Sterling Partners.[2][3]

Although the school was accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2010,[4] it was controversial for its poor bar exam pass rates and unemployability of its students. The school created controversy in 2015, when the dean reportedly paid underprepared students not to take the bar exam.[5][6] In 2016, nearly 95 percent of its students failed to pass the bar exam.[7] The ABA withdrew the school's accreditation effective July 9, 2018,[8] and the school began closing in the fall of that year.[9]

Employment

According to Arizona Summit's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, 34.4% of the Class of 2017 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation, excluding solo practitioners.[10]

ABA Employment Summary for 2015 Graduates [11]
Employment Status Percentage
Employed - Bar Passage Required
 
 35.7%
Employed - J.D. Advantage
 
 19.2%
Employed - Professional Position
 
 18.5%
Employed - Non-Professional Position
 
 2.6%
Pursuing Graduate Degree Full Time
 
 4.0%
Unemployed - Not Seeking
 
 4.6%
Unemployed - Seeking
 
 15.2%
Total of 151 Graduates

In July 2017, the school had the lowest bar passage rate in Arizona, with 25.7% of first time test takers passing compared to 76.1% for Arizona State University and 74.3% for University of Arizona. The state's total passage rate was 69.4% for first time test takers and 56.6% overall.[1]

Costs

The total cost of attendance (indicating the cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses) at Arizona Summit for the 2014-2015 academic year was $64,856.[12] The Law School Transparency estimated debt-financed cost of attendance for three years is $243,864.[13] The median amount of debt for program graduates was $178,263.[14] The school offered controversial conditional scholarships to students that can be reduced or eliminated based on overall grade point average, rather than academic standing. During the 2015-2016 academic year, 73 students had their conditional scholarship reduced or eliminated.[15]

Campus

The school had been located in the Phelps Dodge Tower, a 20-story building in downtown Phoenix, until August 2018, when it was evicted for failure to pay rent.[16]

Academics

Critics contend that Arizona Summit's admissions process was close to a fully open unselective enrollment system.[17] Arizona Summit's Fall 2016 entering class had a median GPA of 2.96 and a median LSAT score of 143 (20th percentile of test takers).[18] The 25th percentile of admitted students had a GPA of 2.55 and an LSAT score of 140 (13th percentile of test takers). The school admitted 64.1% of applicants. Last year, the school lost 99 first year students (33% of the class). Forty-one students failed out of the program, 35 transferred, and 23 left for other reasons.

The school says its mission is based upon three pillars: (1) a student-centered educational experience; (2) supporting programs that allow for professionally prepared graduates; and (3) commitment to underserved communities.

  • Clinical Programs: SummitLaw houses a Mediation Clinic and other clinical programs designed to develop and enhance practice skills. Courses are offered in trial and appellate practice, mediation and alternative methods of dispute resolution. Clinical methods are used in various courses throughout the curriculum.
  • Externships: SummitLaw offers qualified, upper-level students in good academic standing opportunities to participate in a for-credit externship program. Students attend a classroom component that provides a link between the placement setting and the learning process.
  • Mentoring Programs: Each student is assigned a faculty member as their mentor. The faculty member helps to guide the student through their law school experience and form a professional relationship that will carry into their future career.[19]

Nevertheless, legal scholars dispute the for-profit school's mission. Many legal academics contend that Arizona Summit admits students who have little chance of passing the bar or obtaining employment after graduation, in order to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in student loans.[17]

U.S. News & World Report did not report the rank of Arizona Summit in 2016.[20] US News only ranks the top three-fourths of law schools.[21]

In May 2017, the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education, the state's licensing authority governing for-profit educational institutions, voted to require the law school to post a $1.5 million surety bond, to be potentially paid out to students in the event the school closes down.[22]

Reputation

  • Students admitted for the Fall of 2014 to Arizona Summit Law School had a median GPA of 2.94 and a median LSAT Score of 144.[23]
  • The July 2015 bar passage rate for first time bar takers from Arizona Summit Law School was 30.6%. Out of 144 first time takers, only 44 achieved a passing score on the bar. With those retaking the bar included, the passage rate sinks to 26.4%.[24][25]
  • The February 2016 bar passage rate for first time bar takers from Arizona Summit Law School was 38.1%. Out of 97 first time takers, only 37 achieved a passing score on the bar. With those retaking the bar included, the passage rate sinks to 28.4%.[26]
  • Arizona Summit's July 2016 Arizona bar passage rate for first time writers was 24.6%. Out of 73 first time test writers, only 18 achieved a passing score. The school's total July 2016 Arizona bar passage rate was 19.7%.[7]
  • Arizona Summit's July 2017 Arizona Bar passage rate for first time writers was 25.7%. Out of 35 first time test writers, only 9 achieved a passing score. The school's total July 2017 Arizona bar passage rate was 20.1%.[27]

Previously, the Chairman of the Board was Dennis Archer, a former Mayor of Detroit, Michigan Supreme Court justice and the first African-American president of the American Bar Association.[28]

A 2012 report showed that 18% of first-year students at Arizona Summit had transferred to other law schools. This led to a policy in which transfer students were required to meet with an adviser before their transcripts would be released.

In 2013, two professors filed a lawsuit against the school, alleging that they had been fired for objecting to a new policy related to student transfers, among other policy changes.[29] The complaint was subsequently dismissed by District Court.[30] The plaintiffs appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed on May 22, 2017.[31]

The school created controversy in 2015, when the dean reportedly paid underprepared students not to take the bar exam.[5][6]

Accreditation withdrawal and shutdown

On March 27, 2017, Arizona Summit was notified by the ABA that the school had been placed on probation.[32] Arizona Summit became the second InfiLaw school to be placed on probation by the ABA. Charlotte School of Law was placed on probation in November 2016.

In January 2018, the ABA issued a letter stating that the school's financial strength was insufficient to carry out legal education that met the ABA's standards and gave the school until February 1, 2018, to submit a report on its efforts to improve its financial position.[33]

The ABA withdrew approval in June 2018. The ABA approved the school's "teach-out plan" in November 2018 as the school ceases operations.[34]

References

  1. 1 2 "JULY 2017 EXAMINATION RESULTS" (PDF). AZ Supreme Court.
  2. ↑ Infilaw Corp. (2012). "Home". Infilaw Corp. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  3. ↑ Sterling Partners (2011). "Portfolio:InfiLaw". Sterlings Partners. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Phoenix School of Law: News & Events". Phoenixlaw.edu. 2010-06-15. Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
  5. 1 2 "Lawsuit: Infilaw Paying Law Grads To Put Off Bar Exam". National Law Journal.
  6. 1 2 "Arizona Summit Defends Encouraging Grads to Delay Bar Exam". National Law Journal. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Arizona Bar Exam Statistics" (PDF). Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  8. ↑ Journal, A. B. A. "Arizona Summit loses accreditation approval, which may be a first for an operating law school". ABA Journal. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  9. ↑ Journal, A. B. A. "No fall classes at Arizona Summit, school says, and a teach-out plan is being negotiated". ABA Journal. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "Standard 509 Disclosure". abarequireddisclosures.org. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  11. ↑ "Employment Summary for 2015 Graduates" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "Cost of Attendance". www.azsummitlaw.edu. Retrieved Feb 13, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Arizona Summit Law School, Finances". www.lstreports.com. Retrieved Feb 13, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Arizona Summit Financing". Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved Feb 13, 2019.
  15. ↑ "ABA Disclosures" (PDF).
  16. ↑ Ryman, Anne. "Arizona Summit Law School locked out of its Phoenix offices for not paying rent". azcentral. Retrieved Feb 13, 2019.
  17. 1 2 "Law School Scam Getting Worse". The Atlantic. 23 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Arizona Summit ABA Required Disclosures" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "Phoenix School of Law" (PDF). Phoenixlaw.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
  20. ↑ Top Law SchoolsUS News Archived 2016-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ "Methodology: 2018 Best Law Schools Rankings". U.S. News & World Report.
  22. ↑ Ryman, Anne (May 25, 2017). "Arizona Summit Law School told to create financial safety net for students as precaution". Arizona Republic. AZ Central. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  23. ↑ "LST Score Reports | Arizona Summit Law School, Key Stats". www.lstscorereports.com. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  24. ↑ "Despite All Efforts, Law School Posts Worst Bar Exam Performance Ever". Above the Law. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  25. ↑ Journal, ABA. "This law school had a 30% bar pass rate; do lower standards presage troubled times for law grads?". ABA Journal. Retrieved 2015-10-28.
  26. ↑ "February 2016 Examination Results" (PDF). azcourts.gov. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  27. ↑ "July 2017 Examination Results" (PDF). azcourts.gov. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  28. ↑ "Board Members". Phoenix School of Law. 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  29. ↑ Cassens Weiss, Debra (4 June 2013). "Suit claims law profs were fired after opposing proposals to discourage student transfers". ABA Journal. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  30. ↑ "azcommonlaw.com". azcommonlaw.com.
  31. ↑ Rumann v. Phoenix School of Law, LLC, 692 Fed. Appx. 358 (9th Cir. 2017), aff’g, O’Connor v. Phoenix School of Law, LLC, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 196771 (D. Ariz. May 20, 2014).
  32. ↑ Journal, A. B. A. "ABA puts Arizona Summit School of Law on probation". ABA Journal. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  33. ↑ "Arizona Summit Law School, already on probation, now out of compliance for finances". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  34. ↑ Arizona Summit Law School (2018). "ABA Accreditation". Retrieved December 11, 2018.
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