Automated Summary
Key Facts
The Fundación Facultad de Derecho Eugenio María de Hostos (FFDEMH) requested accreditation from Puerto Rico's Supreme Court in 1996. Evaluations by the Court's Accreditation Committee and the American Bar Association (ABA) identified critical deficiencies, including insufficient financial resources and lower academic performance of students compared to accredited law schools. Despite temporary permissions for graduates to take the bar exam in 1997–1999, FFDEMH's pass rates (19% in 1998, 0% in 1999) remained far below accredited institutions. The Supreme Court denied accreditation in 2000, citing failure to meet conditions like ABA provisional accreditation and improved bar results.
Issues
- The Supreme Court evaluated whether the Fundación Facultad de Derecho Eugenio María De Hostos (FFDEMH) met the necessary financial and academic requirements for accreditation. The court found that the FFDEMH lacked sufficient financial resources and had a lower academic profile compared to accredited law schools in Puerto Rico. Despite being given a two-year period to improve, the FFDEMH failed to meet these conditions, leading to the denial of accreditation.
- The court addressed the eligibility of FFDEMH graduates to take the Puerto Rico bar exam. Initially, the court permitted graduates to take the exam in 1997, 1998, and 1999 as part of an evaluation process. However, after two years, the court determined that the FFDEMH had not achieved the necessary improvements in academic performance or secured ABA provisional accreditation. Consequently, the court denied further eligibility for bar exams until the FFDEMH meets the required standards.
Holdings
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico denied the accreditation of the Fundación Facultad de Derecho Eugenio María de Hostos (FFDEMH) after it failed to meet the conditions set in its 1998 Resolution. The court determined that FFDEMH did not achieve the required improvements in financial stability, academic performance of students, or obtain provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA). Consequently, graduates of FFDEMH will not be admitted to the bar exams in 2000 and subsequent years until it secures at least provisional ABA accreditation.
Remedies
The court denied accreditation to the Fundación Facultad de Derecho Eugenio María de Hostos and will not admit its graduates to the bar exam in 2000 and subsequent years until it obtains provisional ABA accreditation.
Legal Principles
The court denied accreditation to the Fundación Facultad de Derecho Eugenio María de Hostos (FFDEMH) because it failed to meet statutory and regulatory requirements for bar exam eligibility, including ABA provisional accreditation and financial stability. The decision emphasized adherence to existing legal standards for law school accreditation.
Cited Statute
Ley de Admisión a la Abogacía en Puerto Rico
Judge Name
- Jaime B. Fuster Berlingeri
- Negrón García
Passage Text
- los resultados de los egresados de la FFDEMH en los exámenes de reválida de 1998 y 1999 fueron otra vez notablemente inferiores a los de los egresados de las tres escuelas de derecho acreditadas de Puerto Rico, según surge de los siguientes datos sobre el porcentaje (%) de aprobación de los exámenes en cuestión.
- El 24 de noviembre de 1999, la ABA volvió a denegar la solicitud de acreditación provisional presentada por la FFDEMH.
- Se deniega la acreditación de la FFDEMH. No se admitirán a los exámenes de reválida a celebrarse durante el año 2000 y años subsiguientes a aquellas personas que hayan egresado de la FFDEMH hasta que esa institución no reciba por lo menos la acreditación provisional de la ABA.