Odds Against You at Online Law Schools

This article may have been posted before but it is interesting and something to take into account if you are considering an online law school.

In this investigation few who start finish and few of those become lawyers.
Nearly 9 in 10 students drop out of unaccredited law schools in California - LA Times

 

That does not mean if you have the genuine aptitude , drive and time you will not succeed. It does mean to give it careful consideration. Many who started may not have had the aptitude, the time or drive. One person noted their school went after the bottom of the barrel (low LSAT scorers). Probably like some off shore med schools give hope to people who could not get in to stateside schools.

 

A significant difference is that medical school admission in the U.S. is extremely limited. The profession creates a constant scarcity, which not only encourages "offshore" schools, but also graduates of med schools all over the world to come here to practice.

Law schools, on the other hand, are seeing a tremendous reduction in admissions. Not across the board, of course; the very best schools still thrive. But many others, especially the tuition-driven ones--are facing closure. It hasn't helped that the ABA still refuses to support--or even tolerate--nontraditional delivery methods (beyond going 4 years part-time, often in night school). That has helped the unaccredited schools--including DL law programs--stay alive, because despite all of the problems facing law schools, they still can't cut loose with innovative designs.

In my opinion, this isn't a temporary phase, it's a new reality. Much of what people needed lawyers for can be handled in other ways, including leveraging technology. In medicine, however, technology is having the opposite affect; it's increasing what the field can do for people and, thus, driving demand higher. (One might also consider the affect of so much medical insurance money helping to drive and sustain demand. The legal profession doesn't enjoy nearly universal coverage like that.)

Bad time to become an attorney. Good time to be in medicine, at any level of the profession.

 

There is one single ABA JD program that primarily delivers courses online with short residency requirements...

Hybrid J.D. Program

 

Nice pull. The exception that proves the rule, however....