By Neil Offen

noffen@heraldsun.com; 419-6646

DURHAM -- The Association of American Law Schools has more than 170 members, ranging from the University of Akron Law Center to Yeshiva University School of Law and including such legal heavyweights as Harvard, Yale and Stanford.

None of the members is a historically black public institution.

N.C. Central University's School of Law hopes to be the first.

The NCCU law school expects to hear this week -- possibly today -- whether it's made the grade to become a member of the primary organization for legal scholars. The AALS works with the federal government, other national higher education organizations, professional and academic societies, and international law schools.

"Getting accepted would be a very good thing" said Raymond Pierce, the dean of the NCCU law school. "It would be a major feather in our cap, a very major feather."

Acceptance also would be the culmination of more than three years of work that has included hosting visits by legal assessors, long and complex application forms, employing the services of a consultant, multiple meetings and trips to Washington.

Just last week Pierce and NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms flew up to the nation's capital to meet with the association's executive committee. "We're making every effort we can for this," Nelms said.

There has been discussion at the law school about applying for membership for a number of years, said Pierce, who arrived at the school five years ago. "I've always seen my task as dean as helping to increase the value of a degree from this law school," he said. "You can do that in many ways, and membership in the association would be a major step in the direction of accomplishing that."

NCCU, which submitted its official application nearly a year ago, currently pays a fee to the association to receive some of its services, but that doesn't allow the school's faculty to be members of AALS committees or receive other benefits of full membership.

The association primarily focuses on faculty scholarship, and helps support legal research and pedagogical improvement for legal scholars. Acceptance would open up doors for N.C. Central scholars and "get our faculty more involved with the legal academy nationally and even internationally," Pierce said.

But while he is hopeful, the dean is not at all certain that NCCU's application will be accepted.

"We do not have the level and the quantity of faculty-produced scholarship you would typically see [in a member school], like at Duke or Carolina," he acknowledged. "Certainly, we don't have that level yet, but is there a clear trajectory in terms of yearly progress, articles published and increased resources for faculty to do their research?

"Yes, there is. If you look at where we're going, I think we deserve membership."