Complaint Review and Resolution
In the course of their education or employment, individuals may have complaints or concerns about University of Washington School of Law personnel, policies, or procedures. Resources that provide opportunities to express concerns and for the Law School to respond and improve.
Student Complaints Related to ABA Compliance
As an ABA-accredited law school, the School is subject to the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools.
Under ABA Standard 510, any student at the School of Law may bring a formal complaint to the Law School
administration "of a significant problem that directly implicates the school’s program of legal education and its
compliance with the ABA Standards." This may include concerns about curriculum; academic standards and achievements;
course of study; externships; distance education; and study abroad programs.
Students seeking to file a formal complaint related to the program of legal education and compliance with the
ABA Standards shall do the following:
- Submit the complaint in writing to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs or the Associate Dean for Academic Administration.
The complaint may be made by email, U.S. mail, or personal delivery.
- Describe in detail the behavior, program, process or other matter that is the subject of the complaint, and explain
how the matter implicates the law school's program of legal education and compliance with specific ABA Standard(s).
- Provide the name, official Law School email address, and street address of the complaining student, for further
communication about the complaint.
When either Associate Dean receives a student complaint, the following procedures will be followed:
- The Associate Dean will acknowledge receipt the complaint within five business days. Acknowledgment may be made by email,
U.S. mail, or personal delivery, at the option of the administrator.
- Within two weeks of acknowledgment of the complaint, the Associate Dean, or his or her designee, shall either
meet or correspond with the complaining student, providing a written response to the substance of the complaint or
informing the student that additional investigation is needed. If further investigation is needed,
the student shall be provided with information about what steps are being taken to investigate the
complaint and an estimated date for the completion of the investigation by the Law School. The written
response to the complaint will specify what steps are being taken to address the complaint.
- After the student receives the written response to the complaint, an appeal may be taken to the Dean of the Law School.
Any decision made on appeal by the Dean shall be final.
- A copy of the complaint and a summary of the process and resolution of the complaint shall be kept in
the Dean's office for a period of eight years from the date of final resolution of the complaint.