Two former law school administrators recently were disciplined by bar authorities for their role in law school admissions scandals. Former Villanova Law School Dean Mark Sargent was suspended for three years by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for causing false LSAT and GPA data to be reported to the American Bar Association. Former Assistant Dean for Admissions Paul Pless of the University of Illinois College of Law was reprimanded by the disciplinary board of the Washington State Bar Association for misreporting LSAT and GPA data of incoming students to the ABA. Neither was charged with a criminal violation.
Both former deans were disciplined under local versions of Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4. Sargent was cited for violation of RPC 8.4(c), which defines misconduct as “conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation,” as well as Massachusetts RPC 8.4(h), which proscribes “any other conduct that adversely reflects on his or her fitness to practice law.”
