During the 2025 ABA midyear meeting in Phoenix, Janet Stearns, the University of Miami School of Law dean of students, addressed the ABA House of Delegates about the need for pathways into the legal profession. As chair of the Law School Committee of the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, and after three years of drafting and negotiation, the ABA House of Delegates adopted an updated Model Conditional Admission Rule with the broad support of many entities, including the Section on Legal Education and the Commission on Disability Rights.
The proposal outlines a new model rule on conditional admission to the practice of law that focuses on conduct instead of mental health-related diagnoses. The rule pertains to the character and fitness portion of the bar admission process.
Stearns speaks nationally, writes, and podcasts on law student wellbeing, and strategies for law schools to promote a culture of wellbeing in the profession. She has spearheaded the Fall Wellness Week and the Dean of Students Constitutional (walk) around the campus. She coordinates closely with the school’s Mindfulness in Law program and drafted the Preface to Scott Roger’s book Mindfulness for Law Students.
