The University of Pittsburgh School of Law is an ABA-accredited institution. The ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools can be found here. In accordance with ABA Standard 510, students who wish to bring to the Law School’s attention a significant problem that directly implicates its compliance with the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools should submit a complaint in writing to the Vice Dean or the Assistant Dean of Students.
The written complaint may be sent by e-mail, U.S. mail, or by fax. The written complaint must identify the significant problem and specify how it directly implicates the Law School’s compliance with one or more identified ABA Standards. The written complaint must be signed, and it must contain the name, official University of Pittsburgh e-mail address, and street address of the complaining student in order to facilitate communication with the student concerning the complaint.
The relevant Associate Dean will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within three business days of its receipt. Within three weeks of acknowledging receipt of the complaint, the Associate Dean will either meet with the complaining student or respond to the complaint in writing. At this meeting or in the writing, the student should be informed of the Associate Dean’s substantive response to the complaint, the steps being taken to address the complaint, or the steps being taken to further investigate the complaint. If further investigation is necessary, the Associate Dean will conduct and complete that investigation within a reasonable time. The Associate Dean will provide the student with a substantive response to the complaint or a description of the steps being taken to address the complaint within three weeks of the completion of the investigation.
If the student is dissatisfied with the response to, or resolution of, the complaint, the student may file a written appeal with the Dean of the Law School. The student must file an appeal no later than three weeks after being advised of the Associate Dean’s response to the complaint or of the steps being taken to address the complaint. The Dean’s decision regarding the appeal will be communicated to the student within three weeks of receipt of the appeal. The Dean’s decision shall be final.
The Law School shall maintain a written record of all complaints filed pursuant to this procedure, including a summary of the process of addressing and investigating each complaint and a record of each complaint’s resolution, in the Office of the Dean for a period of eight years from the date of final resolution of the complaint.