are American D/L law schools only in Cali?

I have searched the forum and, aside from the online programs mentioned in England, Australia and South Africa, the only online law programs I see mentioned are the California schools. Are there no other D/L options for JD in the U.S.?

 

All bar qualifying distance learning law programs are in California.

 

But you don't have to be a resident of California to study through a Californian D/L law school or take the California Bar exam.

 

what is the bar like? i have no idea.

it would be interesting to find out what the test consists of.

i assume it would be a heavy writting test but i have no idea.

 

What the bar is like...

You have three options for passing the bar...

option one entails you running really fast and jumping over the bar. If you clear it, you pass.

option two entails you bending over backwards and passing under the bar without falling all the way back onto your bum. This requires less athleticism than option one, so if you didn't play sports in high-school or college, go with option two.

option three entails ordering a brew and sipping it slowly as you banter in a friendly manner with the stranger sitting next to you about how wonderful Peyton Manning is and how the Bengals should move to Des Moines.

 

'preciate chah.

 

Sample essay questions from previous bar exams are posted on the California State Bar website. http://www.calbar.ca.gov/state/calbar/calbar_home.jsp

 

Ah, David Boyd, just the guy I was thinking about.

I would like top talk to you.

Give me a sec and then check you PMs please.

 

So what does a lawyer do if they went to a California law school, passes the California bar, and then for some reason (maybe family or work) finds they must move to another state? (Like Florida for example.)

Do they just have to go to law school all over again?

 

Depends on the jurisdiction. Take Florida, for example. Florida requires graduates of non-ABA law schools to be practicing for 10 years in another jurisdiction to be eligible for the bar exam.

http://www.collegeathome.com/html/law.html

Florida, specifically:

http://www.floridabarexam.org/public/main.nsf/rules.html#4-134

Texas is, I believe, the only state that absolutely bars DL law school graduates from practice; however, there is a movement afoot to change this.

YMMV, IANAL, etc. (Although I did just start at NWCU...)

 

deej,

Not true, unfortunately. Only Texas specifically bars D/L law grads from ever taking the Bar BUT a growing number of states such as New Jersey and Kansas require ABA J.D degrees of ALL applicants regardless of experience. A graduate of a D/L program will not meet this requirement.

 

BTW...

...what is the difference between the LLB and the LLM? I see on the UofLondon site that they offer both, the LLM being a masters level degree. Do I have to get the LLB in order to get the LLM? It seems that at UofLondon I could apply lots of undergrad credits toward the LLB, or just jump right into the LLM degree regardless of my undergrad major. I already have a Bachelors (not law) and will complete an MBA in a year or so. Would I then go for the LLB or LLM? Which allows me to practice as an attorney, the LLB or LLM? Thanks.

 

Neither University of London degree would qualify you to take a U.S. bar exam. It IS possible to earn the UofL LL.B. then complete an American, resident LL.M. at an ABA approved school and thus qualify for the bar exam in a few states.

The classic UofL LL.M. program no longer accepts students; it will die out completely the year after my registration expires. By then, I should be long finished (I hope!)

The new Uof L LL.M. does NOT require an LL.B. or J.D. for admission. I don't know how they intend to handle that, whether there will be "remedial" courses or what.

An LL.M. is not generally considered to be a substitute for a J.D. or LL.B. in the U.S. or U.K. The LL.B. course gives the student the broad general education necessary to practice law. The U.K. LL.M. is a much narrower, graduate qualification. There are generalist LL.M. programs in American law for foreign lawyers; these programs are designed to qualify foreign law graduates to take the bar in those states where this is permitted.

 

LLM vs LLB...

...sounds as though an LLB would be the way to go, were I to choose the UofL program. I have no real interest in practicing law, at this point, but I do think a thorough knowledge of law is pretty darn valuable...not to mention what it could do for a resume!

Is my assumption correct that, even though a UofL D/L LLB/LLM would not let me practice law in the US, the program itself is more highly regarded than that of the D/L programs offered in Cali? The reason I assume this is because of the brick-and-mortar campus that has a good reputation versus the virtual-only campus of a school like NWCU. For someone not interested in becoming a lawyer but rather interested in the knowledge (or another field of law that doesn't need the bar), my completely uneducated guess is that the UofL program is probably one of the best D/L programs out there...is that right?

 

Highly regarded by whom?

The New York state bar will permit U of London LL.B. holders to take their bar exam but ONLY if the LL.B. was earned in residence. No D/L grads need apply.

The California state bar will allow D/L graduates of California schools to take the bar without further ado. They WON'T extend the same privilege to external LL.B. grads unless they obtain an LL.M. from an ABA accredited school.

The Oregon state Bar will permit California attorneys with three years of practice experience and a D/L California J.D. to take the Oregon Bar but they will not recognize the London LL.B under ANY circumstances.

To teach in a California law school, the bar requires either a CalBar accredited or ABA accredited degree or membership in a state bar. The California D/L J.D. can result in bar membership, thus qualifying the holder to teach. The LL.B., by itself, won't.

And on, and on.

Outside of the U.S. and the U.K., I am aware of only ONE country that recognizes the London LL.B. for practice; that is Malaysia.

So, what do you want the degree FOR?