The Legal Beat

Troubled Law School Dealt Another Setback
Posted on Tuesday May 04, 2021

There’s another snafu for Florida Coastal School of Law — a law school that made a run in ATL’s Worst Law School in America bracket.

We recently told you that the U.S. Department of Education terminated the school’s access to federal student financial aid (for the second time) for what the school characterizes as a breach of policy that requires a signature from a school investor. (Florida Coastal says that was held up because of its efforts to convert to a nonprofit institution.) Additionally, the law school was directed to file a teach-out plan with the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. ABA Rule 29 requires this step if the DOE initiates an emergency action against a law school. However, that plan was rejected after review by the executive committee of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

As reported by the ABA Journal:

It “did not include several required items and did not provide sufficient detail as to other items,” according to the notice.

Peter Goplerud, the law school’s president and dean, responded to the setback:

“We will respond to the council with the information and data requested. We are still waiting for a response to our request for reinstatement in the Title IV program.”

But much like a cat with nine lives, Florida Coastal may yet again walk away unscathed: the section’s council will review the revised plan when it meets in May.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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