亚利桑那州最高法院批准了该州第一所未获美国律师协会认证的法学院，法院表示，这一举措将有助于解决亚利桑那州的律师短缺问题。
The Arizona Supreme Court has approved the state's first law school not accredited by the American Bar Association, a move the court said would help address Arizona's lawyer shortage.
法院周四批准大峡谷大学法学院，该学院预计最早于2027年秋季开学，这意味着其毕业生将有资格参加亚利桑那州的律师资格考试，并申请在该州获得执业许可。
The court's approvalon Thursday of Grand Canyon University Law School, which is slated to open as early as fall 2027, means its graduates will be eligible to take Arizona's bar exam and apply to become licensed to practice in the state.
根据其他州目前的律师执业许可规则，大峡谷大学法学院毕业生在很大程度上只能在亚利桑那州执业，因为这些州要求毕业于美国律师协会认证的法学院，尽管一些州已开始放宽这一规定。
Grand Canyon law graduates would largely be limited to Arizona under current attorney licensing rules in other states that require graduation from an ABA-accredited law school, though some states have begun to relax that provision.
这所私立基督教大学的官员表示，该学校计划争取美国律师协会认证，但亚利桑那州的认可将使其在律师协会作为联邦认可的法学院认证机构的地位可能发生变化的情况下拥有更多灵活性。
Officials at the private, Christian university said the school plans to pursue ABA accreditation but that Arizona's recognition will give it more flexibility amid potential changes to the bar association's status as the federally recognized accreditor of law schools.
在唐纳德·特朗普总统领导下的美国教育部即将撤销美国律师协会的认证机构地位，包括德克萨斯州和佛罗里达州在内的五个共和党控制的州已采取行动，结束在律师准入方面对美国律师协会的近乎排他性依赖。
The US Department of Education under President Donald Trump is poised to revoke the ABA's accreditor status, and five Republican-controlled states including Texas and Florida have moved to end their near-exclusive reliance on the ABA in attorney admissions.
大峡谷大学法学院创始院长詹姆斯·威廉姆斯在一份声明中表示，该学校感谢亚利桑那州最高法院“愿意考虑法律教育的创新方法，并感谢有机会证明，新的执业许可途径可以保持最高学术卓越标准”。法院表示，在评估其新方法的运行情况期间，目前不接受其他未获美国律师协会认证的法学院的批准申请。
James Williams, the founding dean of Grand Canyon's law school, in a statement said the school is grateful for the Arizona Supreme Court's "willingness to consider an innovative approach to legal education and for the opportunity to demonstrate that a new pathway to licensure can maintain the highest standards of academic excellence." The court said it is not accepting approval requests from other non-ABA-accredited law schools while it assesses how its new approach is working.
大峡谷位于凤凰城，于8月公布了其新法学院的计划，称将“在整个课程中融入基督教世界观，同时强调宪法法律、自由市场原则和法治”。大峡谷将成为亚利桑那州的第三所法学院，与亚利桑那州立大学桑德拉·戴·奥康纳法学院和亚利桑那大学詹姆斯·E·罗杰斯法学院并列，这两所学院均获得美国律师协会（ABA）认证。
Grand Canyon, located in Phoenix, unveiled plans for its new law school in August, saying it will "integrate the Christian worldview throughout its curriculum while emphasizing Constitutional law, free-market principles and the rule of law." Grand Canyon will be the state's third law school alongside Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, both of which are accredited by the ABA.
美国律师协会2020年的一项研究发现，亚利桑那州与南卡罗来纳州和阿肯色州并列，每千人拥有的活跃律师数量最少，仅为2.1名律师。全国平均水平约为每千人4名律师。
A 2020 study by the ABA found that Arizona was tied with South Carolina and Arkansas for the lowest ratio of active attorneys per capita, with just 2.1 attorneys for every 1,000 Arizonans. The national average was roughly four lawyers per 1,000 residents.
亚利桑那州最高法院在2024年设立了亚利桑那州律师学徒计划，这是一项首创的举措，为那些仅差一点未通过州律师考试的法学院毕业生提供选择：在农村地区或政府或非营利性法律环境中，在律师监督下工作两年后，即可获得律师执照。
The Arizona Supreme Court in 2024 established the Arizona Lawyers Apprentice Program, a first-of-its-kind effort that gives law school graduates who fall just short of passing the state's bar exam the option to become licensed attorneys after spending two years working under the supervision of a lawyer in a rural area or a government or nonprofit law setting.
特朗普政府采取行动终止律师团体对法学院的监督 为了提升“法律荒漠”地区的律师数量，亚利桑那州采纳了针对律师考试未通过者的学徒计划。
Trump administration moves to end attorney group's law school oversight To boost lawyer numbers in 'legal deserts,' Arizona adopts apprentice plan for bar exam failers