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Association of American Law Schools Inc

EIN 94-1450490 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood70 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Raising each dollar of donations cost 51 cents.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN LAW SCHOOLS' MISSION IS TO UPHOLD AND ADVANCE EXCELLENCE IN LEGAL EDUCATION.

Income
$6.4 million
Spending
$7.2 million
Spent on programs
85%
Reserves
13.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 90%
Employees
31
Volunteers
900
Highest pay
$650,604, exec dir. and ceo (to jun '24)

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 70 out of 100. Higher than 53% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 13.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 21% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 14% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 3% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    85% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 51 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 10 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. $3.1 million spent. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE 2025 ANNUAL MEETING IN SAN FRANCISCO DREW OVER 2,100 ATTENDEES AND FEATURED MORE THAN 200 PROGRAMS, INCLUDING A WORKSHOP FOR PRETENURED LAW TEACHERS. THE 2025 CONFERENCE ON CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION IN BALTIMORE BROUGHT TOGETHER OVER 800 EDUCATORS. THE NEW LAW TEACHERS WORKSHOP IN JUNE HOSTED 100 FACULTY IN WASHINGTON, DC. ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS INCLUDED AN APRIL WEBINAR FOR ASPIRING LAW TEACHERS AND AN AUGUST VIRTUAL WORKSHOP FOR ADJUNCT FACULTY AND LECTURERS, WHERE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS SHARED GUIDANCE ON CLASS PREPARATION, TEACHING, ASSESSMENT, AND USING STUDENT FEEDBACK. FOR DEANS, AALS CO-HOSTED A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS WITH THE ABA IN JUNE AND HELD THREE ONGOING WEBINAR SERIES.
  2. $1.6 million spent. MEMBER SERVICES: AALS IS AN ASSOCIATION OF 174 MEMBER LAW SCHOOLS REPRESENTING MORE THAN 7,000 FULLTIME U.S. LAW FACULTY. MEMBERSHIP REQUIRES ADHERENCE WITH CORE VALUES, INCLUDING EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND SCHOLARSHIP, ACADEMIC FREEDOM, AND DIVERSITY OF BACKGROUNDS AND VIEWPOINTS. AALS REPRESENTS U.S. LEGAL EDUCATION AND THE LAW PROFESSORIATE TO OTHER ENTITIES. ITS FACULTY APPOINTMENT SERVICES INCLUDE A WEBPAGE ON BECOMING A LAW TEACHER, AN ONLINE REGISTRY OF FACULTY CANDIDATES, AND A PLACEMENT BULLETIN OF FACULTY OPENINGS. MORE THAN 100 VOLUNTEERDRIVEN AALS SECTIONS PROVIDE NETWORKING, IDEASHARING, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND SUPPORT FOR TEACHING AND SCHOLARSHIP FOR LAW SCHOOL FACULTY AND STAFF. PLANNING ALSO STARTED FOR A VIRTUAL FACULTY RECRUITMENT CONFERENCE AND SIX REGIONAL FACULTY RECRUITMENT EVENTS HOSTED BY AALS MEMBER LAW SCHOOLS.
  3. $1.3 million spent. COMMUNICATIONS: AALS SHOWCASES MEMBER SCHOOLS' INNOVATIONS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS, REGULARLY UPDATING WEBSITE CONTENT AND SHARING NEWS ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA. THE HOMEPAGE FEATURES A CALENDAR OF LAW SCHOOL SYMPOSIA AND A LIST OF RECENT BOOKS BY LAW FACULTY, ALONG WITH RESOURCES FOR LAW DEANS, INCLUDING CLEARINGHOUSES ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM/FREE SPEECH, ANTIRACISM, THE RULE OF LAW, AND STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. AALS ALSO PRODUCES SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS: THE DIRECTORY OF LAW TEACHERS, A COMPILATION OF LAW SCHOOLS AND FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES; THE JOURNAL OF LEGAL EDUCATION, EDITED BY FACULTY AT TWO MEMBER SCHOOLS FEATURING ARTICLES ON TEACHING, LEGAL THEORY, SCHOLARSHIP, AND THE PROFESSION; AND AALS LENS, AN ONLINE MULTIMEDIA OUTLET PROVIDING NEWS ON ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES AND ISSUES IN LEGAL EDUCATION. IN 2024, AALS ALSO PRODUCED A BOOK ON ITS HISTORY TO CELEBRATE ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY, A REPORT ON THE AMERICAN LAW SCHOOL FACULTY STUDY, AND AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE ANNUAL PRO BONO STUDENT HOURS STUDY.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since December 1971.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.