In a pivotal move, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) President, Kellye Testy, is set to step down from her position this summer to assume the role of Executive Director at the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), according to an announcement made by the AALS on Thursday.
Testy, at the LSAC’s helm since 2017, orchestrated significant changes to the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), a prominent aspect of the council’s identity. Among her notable initiatives were the expansion of LSAT testing dates from four to eight annually and the transition from paper-and-pencil exams to digital tablets in 2019. Her tenure also saw the LSAT’s adaptation to online administration during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The move comes amid a wave of leadership changes within major legal education organizations. Notably, William Adams, the managing director of accreditation and legal education at the American Bar Association (ABA), will step down on June 1, succeeded by Jennifer Rosato Perea, the current dean of DePaul University College of Law. The National Association for Law Placement also underwent a change with the appointment of Nikia Gray as its executive director in late 2022.
The AALS, boasting nearly all 196 American Bar Association-accredited law schools as members, plays a crucial role in representing law schools, overseeing faculty hiring, and fostering collaboration through its numerous sections. Testy is slated to assume her new role on July 1, succeeding the retiring Judith Areen as the AALS executive director.
During Testy’s leadership at LSAC, she spearheaded the removal of the controversial “logic games” from the LSAT in August, a move that sparked both celebration and lament within the legal profession. Additionally, she resisted the American Bar Association’s efforts to eliminate the requirement for law schools to use the LSAT or other standardized tests in admissions.
In an interview on Thursday, Testy emphasized the LSAC’s role as a stabilizing force for law schools during periods of uncertainty, marking her departure as a pivotal moment in the evolving landscape of legal education.
