InfiLaw System
It was owned by Sterling Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm,[1] and was headquartered in Naples, Florida.
The Arizona Summit School of Law had 336 students in 2008, which increased to around 700 by 2010 and necessitated a new, larger downtown Phoenix campus.
Among these reforms was the requirement that law schools provide more detailed and complete information about employment outcomes for graduates.
[10] Faculty, students, and alumni voiced objections to the sale citing concerns that InfiLaw would lower admissions standards to boost enrollment, resulting in lower bar passage and employment rates, which would, in turn, damage the school's reputation.
[12] In May 2015, InfiLaw spokeswoman, Kathy Heldman, said the company had no plans to refile an application for a license to operate in South Carolina with the state's Commission on Higher Education.
[2] InfiLaw also attracts individuals who do not have high enough LSAT scores and GPAs to be admitted into higher-tier law schools.
InfiLaw schools are said to provide more "hands-on learning" for individuals who score lower marks on their LSATs, offering around 400 hours of on-the-job training.
By 2013, the median LSAT score at InfiLaw schools had dropped to 144 (23rd percentile), with 25% of its students achieving marks at or below 141.
[24] The District Court also ordered plaintiffs to pay most of the defendants' costs incurred to date in connection with the case.
For graduates who took the exam in July, only 58% of Florida Coastal students passed, compared to a statewide average of 72%.
The suit alleged that the school advertised an 80 to 95% employment rate for graduates in the first 9 months after receiving their diplomas.
This case was part of a series of class action lawsuits filed by law school students and applicants across the country, a number of which have been dismissed.
Casey et al. v. Florida Coastal, Judge Brian J. Davis of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, dismissed the entire case with prejudice, accepting United States Magistrate Judge Patricia D. Barksdale's recommendation of dismissal issued on August 15, 2015 .
In a decision supplementing the reasoning of Magistrate Judge Barksdale, Judge Davis concluded that plaintiffs' allegations failed to state a claim and that the defendant's alleged conduct failed to rise to the level of deceptive or unfair trade practices, stating that claim of deceptive trade practice "requires proof that defendant's act would likely mislead the [objective] consumer acting reasonably in the circumstances.
Florida Coastal School of Law was able to confirm the employment status of 98.4% (553 of 562) of its program completers who graduated September 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013.
[32] And only 26% of graduates from the class of 2015 obtained full-time, long term, bar passage required employment.
Plans to maintain its ABA accreditation till May 2020 when the last 22 students graduate and take the Bar Exam, after which, it will officially shutter its doors.
[37] But in August 2020, Florida Coastal was able to demonstrate compliance, asserting that 75% of its 2018 graduates had passed a bar exam, and the 2019 cohort was on track for similarly qualifying results.
[4] The release also said regarding InfiLaw, “Last month, the private equity firm that had owned 98.6% of the institution relinquished its ownership.
This move demonstrated its unwillingness to assume any potential liabilities related to noncompliance rather than using its resources to support the school’s continued participation in the federal student financial aid programs.”[4] As a result, Florida Coastal said it was looking at its options.
[4] A teach-out plan was finally approved in June, 2021, with the school to offer no further classes after the end of the Summer, 2021 term.
[5] Some students will transfer to other law schools, while others will attend classes elsewhere but graduate with Florida Coastal degrees.
