Have you done any in-depth coverage of online law schools? If so, is there a section where that information would be? Thanks in advance -- Shakurra
There are some very big restrictions with online law schools. 1. Only able to take the bar in California. 2. Have to pass the First Year Law Student Exam (aka Baby Bar) in order to continue law studies. 3. Most likely will have to open up a private practice. Concord Law School is the most recognized but there are several others. Abraham Lincoln Univ. Law School, Taft Law, North Western California Law School (this is the cheapest option by a long shot), St. Francis Law School, California School of Law. These are all the one I have researched in the past since they are the only ones that work with my schedule. The main thing is you have to pass the Baby Bar no matter what to continue on in the program. The programs take 4 years instead of 3 years at traditional law schools. These are also not recognized by the ABA, but as stated before California will allow graduates to sit for the bar.
Apparently, once you pass the bar in California you can immediately sit the bar in Wisconsin, or maybe even be waived in, I forget. But I believe it's the other state where a JD from these schools is useful more or less right away.
There was a lawsuit in MA a few years ago where I believe someone who earned his JD via distance won the right to sit for the MA Bar. If I recall correctly, he is a practicing attorney there now.
Excellent feedback, Rich! You mentioned a couple schools I haven't checked out yet, thanks. There is also another route that people have taken and that is to mentor for 4 years under a judge or an attorney.
This is true. I believe the Wisconsin thing is true as well, but everything hinges on passing the Cal Bar. I think some if not most other states require you to be a practicing attorney for at least 10 years and then you can petition to sit for the bar. Not 100% on this I just know I read it somewhere.
California is the only state where a graduate of an online, non-ABA law school can automatically qualify for the Bar exam. In other states, the rules vary. Some states will not allow non-ABA grads to take the Bar under any circumstances. In other states, it may be possible to qualify if you jump through some additional hoops, like practicing in California for several years. In Massachusetts, one person challenged the rules successfully, but the decision only applied to that one person; it has not opened the door to anyone else. If you want to use an online law degree outside of California, you will have to do some careful research of your state's laws to determine if this is feasible. The online law schools will not guarantee that their degrees will "work" anywhere except California. For example, Concord Law School (probably the best known) puts it like this:
You might be better served if you direct your question on Law School Discussion - Index I'm not knocking degreeinfo, but you have to consider the source . . . .
This is a good point and thanks for providing a link for our new member. Because there are so many restrictions on law degrees as they relate to online learning we don't have a lot of discussion on the subject. Maybe this will change someday but right now it doesn't seem so. Also, much of the info we receive indicates that the law field is saturated and many schools are receiving far fewer applications. Still, it's a fascinating field and I can understand why someone might be interested.
If you are planning on pursuing a law degree do a search for "too many law school graduates". There is a thread on degreeinfo.com but could not locate it. This surplus was mentioned on last nights ABC News.
Law school discussion looks like a good site for info. If OP or anyone needs to learn about NWCU law I'll be happy to let them know of my experience. Just pm me or research some of the older threads on degreeinfo.
I'd love to hear about NWCU Law and your experience. This is where I would go if I ever want the JD. It's very affordable and I have no real desire to practice law but would like to have the knowledge.
I attended between the years of 2004-2008. Dean Clancey, the owner and founder of the school, was great. I spoke with him twice and both times he resolved my questions to my satisfaction. At the time we had "chat" sessions weekly on various topics (now I think they use a platform so all participants are visible to each other and the instructor, as always, leads the discussion). I think I would've gotten more out of the discussions if it would've been like they offer it today. Otherwise you're on your own to brief cases, study the casebooks and ancillary materials, prepare for your mid-terms and final exams, prepare for the FYLSE (though now they have a review that's done at the school before the exams) etc. Overall I had a good experience and I don't regret it. But of course it's not for everybody.
RichC is right. Taft law has the best Baby Bar pass rate about 35%. But, it still does not do a good job of helping you pass the Baby Bar. I just passed the baby bar after failing the first time. The second time I use babybarpssers.com, they showed me the trick to pass the bar and baby bar. I already had the knowledge, but did not know how to write it out or use it in figuring out the multiple choice answers. They showed me how. It is still a lot of work. Good Luck
