The American Capital University School of Law, New Distance Learning Law School?

Hello friends, sorry about my English.

What you think about The American Capital University School of Law? http://www.acu-edu.us/law.htm

Be careful with your opinions friends, the chancellor of this institution of higher education have a J.D.

I know that they are a degree granting institution, because they have legal approval to grant its degrees, and it meets all the legal requirements to function as an organization of higher education in the State of Wyoming. http://www.k12.wy.us/ao/f/programs/psl2/degree.html


However, in the literature of this University, they said that they offer a J.D., a Bar-eligible, BUT, currently undergoing the approval process. http://www.acu-edu.us/law.htm

Currently undergoing the approval process with whom?

Who approves the Bar eligibility in Wyoming?

I cannot find information of the Wyoming Bar?


PhD Pacific Western University (Criminal Justice)
MA Caribbean University (Criminal Justice)
BA American University of Puerto Rico (Criminal Justice)

 

It looks like a legitimate school in the making.

If they do get permission for their graduates to take the Wyoming bar exam, that would be an interesting breakthrough, but of little value to people who do not live in, or plan to live in Wyoming.

What is your interest, Mr. Police?

 

Hello friends, sorry about my English.

Thanks for your opinion Dr. Bear. This would be an interesting situation. I go to follows the progress of this school. I think that the founders of this institution of higher education are good people with good intensions.

Maybe they become the first non-ABA degree granting institution in the State of Wyoming. On the other hand, maybe in the future, they become an ABA accredited institution. Who knows?

If they were the first institution to seek a JD Bar-eligible program in Wyoming, the process would become a learning experience. The would open the doors to other institution.

What you think DR. Bear?

Dr. Bear, is difficult to an degree granting institution that have legal authorization to grant JD degrees, and meets all the legal requirements to operate as an institution of higher education wherever it conducts its activities to gain access to the State bar exam?

PhD Pacific Western University (Criminal Justice)
MA Caribbean University (Criminal Justice)
BA American University of Puerto Rico (Criminal Justice)

 

I downloaded their catalog, you have to fill out the form online. It talks about CA Bar Exam not Wyoming.

 

more info

There's a small amount of additional information here.

G

 

Three observations:

They want a lot of money for an unaccredited JD, that is, $6,000 per year. There are other California Bar qualifying programs whose degrees cost a third as much, and these programs already exist and are registered. Por ejemplo: www.nwculaw.edu (my personal hobby horse). There are others.

The California State Bar no longer seems to allow out-of-state schools to register. I assume this school will have a "presence" in California but they don't seem to be there yet.

As to the Wyoming bar, they're pretty liberal but they would have to go a long way from their present rules to accept a correspondence JD. I wouldn't hold my breath.

As far as a non-Bar program, again, there are cheaper alternatives out there whose JDs are equally devoid of value as this school's would be.

 

As Nosborne points out, my belief is that California is quite rigid about schools actually being in the state in order to qualify students to take the 'baby bar' and then the full bar. I don't think a California office for an out-of-state school would qualify. And yet the man behind this school seems to have very respectable traditional credentials including the JD and the PhD. Perhaps he can be asked what's going on.

 

The oft-told joke about a college degree enabling you to more eloquently ask “Would you like fries with that?” just may, in this case, be eminently applicable, as 109 East 17th Street in Cheyenne (American Capital’s address) is also the location of the local Burger King.

 

The California State Bar's Rules for admission to the bar can be found here:

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/state/calbar/calbar_home.jsp

(Click on 'admissions' in the tan band on the right)

See Rule XIX, on non-accredited law schools.

There is provision for study at non-accredited law schools located out-of-state:

Section 4. A law school outside the state that is not accredited by the Committee must:
(1) be authorized to confer professional degrees by the law of the state in which it is located;
(2) comply with subparagraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), (7) and (8) of Section 3 and all of Sections 7 and 9 of this Rule; and
(3) own and maintain a library that is comparable in content to that specified in subparagraph (6) of Section 3 of this Rule.

But the provisions for correspondence law study are a little tighter:

Section 6. A person who seeks to be certified to the Supreme Court for admission and a license to practice law shall receive credit for instruction in law from a correspondence law school only if the school is authorized or approved to confer professional degrees by this state, registers with the Committee and files such reports, notices and certifications as may be required by this Rule XIX concerning any person, hereinafter referred to as "California applicant," whose mailing address is in the state of California or whose application to, contract with, or correspondence with or from the law school indicates that the instruction by correspondence is for the purpose or with the intent of qualifying that person for admission to practice law in California.

So it seems to me that while non-ABA DL law schools physically located outside California might become bar-qualifying in California, they would apparently have to be both CA-approved and registered with the California Bar.

 

A quick glance at the Wyoming State Bar requirements show that they do not recognize an non ABA degree for any purpose, either intial admission or reciprocity. On the other hand they DO allow four years' study in a WYOMING Judge's chambers of WYOMING lawyer's office.

Maybe these folks could arrange a kind of degree/apprenticeship dual program?