It was founded in 1988 and claims that its design and curriculum were influenced by the medical school educational model and legal scholars.

[9] In 1990, the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education authorized MSLAW to grant the Juris Doctor degree.

MSLAW subsequently applied for American Bar Association approval while filing an action in Federal Court in Philadelphia challenging some of the ABA's accreditation standards, arguing that those standards are of questionable educational value, violate antitrust laws, and needlessly increase tuition costs.

The summary judgment dismissing the MSLAW complaint on immunity grounds was granted to the ABA at the trial level and affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

However, MSLAW administers its own examination (MSLAT) similar to the LSAT, requires letters of recommendation, and interviews every applicant for admission.

[19] Billed as a "fast track to law school," ACHLS offered students transferring in from other institutions a program that combined the final two years of their B.A.

[20][18] Articulation agreements were signed with nearby New Hampshire Technical Institute and Mount Wachusett Community College to help students transfer to ACHLS.