How to Maintain a Graduate Employment File
That Complies with ABA Requirements
NALP Conference, April 23, 2015
Agenda
I.
Introduction
II. Protocol Overview
III. Reviewing Employment Files
IV. Questions and Answers
2
Purpose of the Protocol
• To promote confidence among all interested parties (law applicants,
law schools, ABA) that law graduate employment outcome reporting
is complete, accurate, and not misleading;
• To assist schools in creating and maintaining accurate records that
support their graduate employment outcome reporting; and
• To assist the ABA in assessing whether law schools are accurately
reporting graduate employment outcomes.
3
Protocol Overview
509 Website Review
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•
•
The ABA will conduct a yearly review of the
employment data posted by each ABA
accredited law school to determine whether
its Employment Summary Report is posted
as required and that the data are consistent
with the employment information reported by
the law school to the ABA.
Each law school must provide the ABA with
the URL of its home page and the URLs of
the web pages containing its employment
data. These URLs must be the same URLs
that students and prospective students use
to view the law school’s employment data.
Law schools that fail to timely post
employment data or that publish data found
to be incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading,
may be subject to a Red Flag Review.
4
Protocol Overview
Random Graduate Review
• The Random Graduate Review will select a statistically sound
random sample of individual graduates from the population of
graduates of all ABA accredited schools.
• This Review entails a high likelihood that every school will have one
or several of its employment outcomes data examined each year.
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Protocol Overview
Random School Review
• At least 10 schools a year will be randomly selected.
• Level 1 Review
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Review of Graduate Employment Files
Presumption that documentation is complete, accurate and non misleading in absence of
evidence to the contrary
If 5% of files are deficient then proceed to a Level 2 review
• Level 2 Review
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Verifies the reported data of at least 20% of the class through contact with the graduates,
employers or public records.
If 5% or three files are incomplete, inaccurate or misleading then proceed to a Level 3 review.
• Level 3 Review
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Independent third party approved by the ABA
Review all Graduate Employment Files for support of reported outcomes
Confirms at least 25% of graduate outcomes by verifying through contact with the graduates,
employers or public records
Undertaken at the expense of the school
Third party submits a report of findings
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Protocol Overview
Red Flag Review
• Conducted on schools that:
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–
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Are currently under sanction for
violations of Standard 509
Are identified by the ABA to have
significant inconsistencies or anomalies
in their data reporting
Are the subject of credible reports of
incomplete inaccurate or misleading
reporting
• ABA determines whether to
conduct a Level 1, 2 or 3
Review
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Graduate Outcome Data
Collection
• Graduates are considered the best
source of outcome data.
• Graduate reported data may be
inaccurate so schools may change
reported data in order to assure its
accuracy.
• School must maintain adequate
documentation supporting any change
from graduate-provided information.
• If schools input information into surveys
based on conversations or other
communications, the name of the person
entering the information, the method of
communication and date must be
documented.
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Acceptable Third Party Sourcing
Law Firm Websites
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Acceptable Third Party Sourcing
State Licensing Records
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Acceptable Third Party Sources
Family Members
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Mom
Dad
Siblings
Grandparent
Spouses
Law Professors
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Acceptable Third Party Sources
Social Media Profiles
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Acceptable Third Party Sources
Social Media Profiles
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Acceptable Third Party Sources
Databases
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Unacceptable Third Party
Sources
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Roommates
Friends
Classmates
General hearsay
Predictions of job offers
15
Reviewing Employment Files
Key Employment Categories
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Employment Status
Employment Category
Full-Time/Part-Time
Long-Term/Short-Term
Law School/University Funded
Employment Type
Employment Start Date
Employer name, address, email address or website
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Reviewing Employment Files
Three Key Questions
1.
What is reported for the key category?
2.
What is the basis for the report?
3.
Is the basis sufficient under the protocol?
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Reviewing Employment Files
Determining Sufficiency
• Employment survey
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Is a copy in the file?
Who filled it out?
Is it dated?
Does it contain the proper supporting information?
• Email
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Is a copy in the file?
Is it dated?
Does it contain the proper supporting information?
• Telephone call/Oral communication
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Is it documented properly?
Is it dated?
Are the names of the people involved identified?
• Web research
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Is a copy in the file?
Is it dated?
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Reviewing Employment Files
Symplicity Reports
• Who entered information into
Symplicity?
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The student?
Career Services?
• Only date that appears is the
date stamp created at the time
of printing
–
Need the date the information was
entered into the Symplicity form
19
Reviewing Employment Files
Symplicity Reports
• Who wrote the Additional
Notes section?
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–
The Student?
Career Services?
20
Reviewing Employment Files
Survey Results
• Date that this document was
completed?
• Information received from the
student is unclear
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Reviewing Employment Files
Survey Results
Job 1
Job 2
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Reviewing Employment Files
Email Communication
• How was this information
obtained?
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Student
Email?
Phone Call?
• Date of the communication?
• Time of the communication?
• Who obtained this
information?
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Reviewing Employment Files
Oral Communication
• Date of the phone call?
• Time of the phone call?
• Did the student relay this
information?
• Who wrote this note?
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Reviewing Employment Files
Oral Communication
• Are the third party sources
appropriate sources?
• Who communicated with the
source?
• How was that information
obtained?
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Email?
Phone Call?
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Reviewing Employment Files
Issue Resolution
• All supporting documents should include the following:
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Time the information was received
Date the information was received
Form of communication
Name of the person receiving the information
• When information obtained is unclear, a documented attempt to
follow-up with the student is warranted
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