Concordia Law Finds a Lifeline to Stay Open
The Boise law school will operate as usual amid a transfer to a new parent institution, though the American Bar Association still must bestow its blessing.
February 21, 2020 at 12:21 PM
3 minute read
Concordia University School of Law will remain open after finding a new parent institution, ending a week and a half of uncertainty about its future.
Officials with Concordia University, St. Paul announced Thursday that their institution will take over the Boise, Idaho, law school from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. (Both universities are affiliated with the Lutheran church, but operate separately.) The Portland-based Concordia is slated to close at the end of the semester amid declining enrollment and financial shortfalls, which left the 8-year-old law school scrambling to stave off closure.
"We are delighted to join forces with an institution that enjoys such a stellar reputation and remain part of the Concordia System," said Interim Concordia Law Dean Latonia Haney Keith in an announcement of the acquisition. "Concordia University, St. Paul is an excellent fit with the law school's mission and values and our commitment to providing affordable, high-quality legal education for the next generation of servant leaders."
Keith said that multiple institutions were interested in acquiring the law school, and that those discussions may yield future partnerships, such a so-called 3+3 agreements. Under those programs, law schools partner with an undergraduate institution to allow students to obtain an undergraduate degree and a Juris Doctor in six years as opposed to the traditional seven.
The American Bar Association still must approve the law school's transfer, but the officials said that the transition should be seamless for students, who will be able to continue their studies uninterrupted.
Concordia Law is now the second law school in six months to avert closure amid problems with its parent institution. Western State College of Law, in Orange County, California, was purchased in August for $1 by the Westcliff University—a for-profit institution based in Irvine, California. That deal allowed the law school to stay open even after its former owner, Argosy University, was placed under a federal receivership. Because of the timing of the ownership change, however, Western State was unable to bring in a new class of students last fall. That shouldn't be an issue for Concordia, if all goes according to plan.
"We are committed to the existing program of legal education and to Concordia Law continuing with business as usual, particularly with respect to staffing, tuition and fees, scholarships, and the 2020-21 academic calendar," said Eric LaMott, provost of Concordia University, St. Paul. "We are, of course, still saddened for the family, students and alumni at Concordia University, Portland. But this transfer of control ensures a thriving legacy that will endure for decades to come."
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All'Everything From A to Z': University GCs Tested by Legal, Financial, Societal Challenges
6 minute read'A Horrible Reputation for Bad Verdicts': Plaintiffs Attorney Breaks Down $129M Wrongful-Death Verdict From Conservative Venue
How Uncertainty in College Athletics Compensation Could Drive Lawsuits in 2025
'Basic Arithmetic': Court Rules in Favor of LA Charter School Denied Funding by California Education Department
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250