Court Opinion

ID: 9725473
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 11:48:58.075191+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:15.425817
License: Public Domain

YETKA, Justice
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent. As I set forth in my earlier dissent in Application of Hansen, 275 N.W.2d 790 (1978), there are situations where a waiver of the requirement of graduation from an ABA-accredited law school should be granted. The applicants before this court have an even stronger case for a waiver.
First, the instructors were experienced, practicing attorneys who are licensed by the State of Minnesota and who are familiar to this court. Nearly all of the instructors were taken from a presently accredited law school located in this state. In addition, the location of Butler School of Law is in Minnesota. Under these circumstances, it is easier for us to measure the effectiveness of the instructors and the quality of petitioners’ legal education.
Second, both students and faculty did everything possible to receive accreditation and to avoid misleading any new student.
Third, it appears that the main reasons accreditation did not occur were that the school lacked a library meeting ABA standards and an endowment program. In view of the fact that there are four excellent law libraries in the metropolitan area, the lack of a complete law library does not appear to be a significant reason to deny a waiver. Moreover, financial difficulties are not unique to this school, but are common throughout the entire spectrum of educational institutions. I believe we should allow the applicants to take the bar exam because of the unique facts of this case.