Question for grads of Northwestern California Univerity School of Law ( NWCU )

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by VegasBanker, Oct 8, 2012.

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  1. VegasBanker

    VegasBanker New Member

    I have scoured the web far and wide, including several threads on this very forum, in search of someone whom graduated Northwestern California University School of Law’s JD program and started their own legal practice.

    I am curious to know how, if at all, your clients’ react knowing you went to law school online? For quite some time now I have been considering law school; it was all I wanted to do as a child, and that passion burns within me still to this day.

    I know all about NWCU’s lack of ABA or U.S. Department of Education’s accreditation, but this is really of very minimal concern to me. I don’t plan on working in BigLaw or running for a public office; I plan to use my legal degree to start my own entrepreneurial, patent, IP law firm. I am much younger (25) than the majority of the posters with NWCU experience, but due familial obligations, and having already established myself very well financially, educationally and career wise, I cannot justify spending $100k+ for a top tier legal education. I already possess a BS in Finance and an MBA (and an inordinate amount of debt correlated with them), but want to be able to sit for the bar exam and have an in depth understanding of the law, without having to add to my staggering student loan payment.

    Also, I am looking for any current or very recent graduates you can tell me a little about the class / delivery structure, what you like / dislike about NWCU, and any tips for success. Thank you in advance for any comments. Cheers.
     
  2. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    In theory, an NWCU law degree might seem like an acceptable choice for patent law. The US Patent & Trademark Office does not require Patent Attorneys to hold ABA-approved law degrees -- they only require Patent Attorneys to be members of a State Bar, and an NWCU degree is qualifying for the California Bar.

    But to qualify for the Patent Bar, you also need an approved science or engineering degree (or equivalent science/engineering education). You won't qualify as a Patent Attorney with a BS in Finance and an MBA, even if you add an NWCU JD.

    You could still litigate patent or IP issues in California courts without passing the Patent Bar, but you would not be able to represent clients at the US Patent & Trademark Office.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 9, 2012
  3. Generally speaking, clients don't really care where you graduated from. Most clients are "result oriented" so they are more concerned about your ability to perform. I would be pretty surprised if the conversation of an online law school even came up. You want to enter into IP law though so things might be different. IP law is a very hard practice to start off on by yourself.

    I second what CalDog said. You really should double check to make sure your degree meets the requirements.
     
  4. Just to be clear, I have never attended Northwestern California Univerity School of Law.
     

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