Fordham Law Registrar's Office

In compliance with ABA Standard 310, Fordham University School of Law School schedules it academic courses and clinics based on a thirteen week semester followed by an exam schedule of approximately two weeks.

All law classes are scheduled in units of 55 minutes per credit for classroom or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week for 13 weeks, or at least the equivalent amount of work for academic activities including simulation, field placement, clinical, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. The 13 week schedule does not include the week(s) reserved for review and examinations. The 55 minute per credit provides the required ABA 700 minutes of instruction in 13 classes per credit.

Student Complaint Implicating Compliance with the ABA Standards

If a student has concerns regarding the Law School's program of legal education and its compliance with the ABA standards, the student may file a complaint pursuant to ABA Standard 510. A "complaint" is a written communication that "seeks to bring to the attention of the law school a significant problem that directly implicates the school's program of legal education and its compliance with the standards."

Procedure for Making a Formal Complaint Pursuant to ABA Standard 510

Submit the complaint in writing via email to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, with a copy to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs.
The writing should describe in detail the behavior, incident, program or process that is the basis of the complaint and explain how it implicates Fordham Law School’s compliance with a particular Standard. The number of the Standard at issue should be specific.

The writing must include the student’s name, mailing address, phone number, and official university email address.

Procedure for Addressing a Formal Complaint Pursuant to ABA Standard 510

The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs shall acknowledge the complaint within ten business days of receipt of the written complaint or as soon as is reasonably possible under the circumstances. Acknowledgement will be via email to the student’s office Fordham University email addresses.

Within thirty (30) business days of acknowledgment of the complaint, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or a designee shall either meet with the complaining student or respond to the substance of the complaint via email.

The student will receive:

• Notification of the resolution of the complaint; or
• Notification that no corrective action is planned, with the reason why; or
• Information about what steps are being taken to investigate the complaint.

Once the student has been notified regarding the disposition of the complaint, the matter is closed.

If the student is provided information about what steps are being taken to investigate the complaint, then the student will be notified of the resolution of the complaint once the matter is resolved. This will close the matter.

A copy of the complaint and a writing showing the resolution of the complaint shall be kept in the Dean’s Office for a period of eight years.