NWCU School of Law now Accredited by the State Bar of California

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Garp, Aug 26, 2020.

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  1. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    I am not sure what this means other than students not having to take the Baby Bar anymore but Northwestern California University School of Law is now accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California.

    Tuition is 2,850 a year. Practice outside of California is in most (?) cases limited to the Federal Courts. Although, I wonder if Zoom has opened up the ability to practice in California at a distance. I believe with a law license from California (admitted to the Bar) you can apply to practice in some Canadian Provinces and in the UK.

    https://nwculaw.edu/school-information/overview/accreditation

    Perhaps others know more about the benefits of accreditation. NWCU does open some opportunities with limitations.
     
  2. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Can you practice in another state with Northwestern California University School of Law once you earned your California BAR, or the rules start all over again?
     
  3. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    If only you clicked the link...

    California Accredited Law School Required Disclosure

    "Study at, or graduation from, this law school may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or be admitted to practice law in jurisdictions other than California. A student who intends to seek admission to practice law outside of California should contact the admitting authority in that jurisdiction for information regarding its education and admission requirements."

    Here's a story of a guy who graduated from Concord Law School, admitted to California Bar, and was initially denied the ability to take the Massachusetts Bar Exam. He sued and eventually won. He now practices in MA.

    Case: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ma-supreme-judicial-court/1166265.html
    News Article: https://www.bostonherald.com/2009/06/24/web-degree-no-bar-for-this-lawyer/
    LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossemitchell/
     
  4. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    The answer (with qualification) is yes. For many or most states the answer would be no if you tried just based on your California Bar pass (membership).

    Some states will let you apply to take their Bar with a certain amount of experience and or a Masters from an ABA accredited law school.

    With your NWCU JD and membership in the California Bar you can practice in Federal Courts in all states (as far as I know). This would mean you could live outside of California and focus your practice on Immigration or Bankruptcy Law. You could not set up shop to defend traffic tickets and do wills.
     
  5. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    From the NWCU web site:

    "Northwestern California University graduates have so far been admitted as lawyers in Washington D.C., the states of Alaska, California, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Washington and Wisconsin; and in the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico (Federal).

    It is also true that, regardless of location, as members of the California Bar they can represent individuals in litigation related to federal tax, customs & trade, immigration, military courts-martial (as non-military lawyers), veterans claims and many other matters, with bar membership that can be acquired in certain federal courts, including the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, the Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Supreme Court; and can represent individuals in general immigration matters with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, in general tax matters with the Internal Revenue Service, and in other administrative matters with many other federal agencies."
     
    sideman likes this.
  6. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Once you pass the California bar, you can sit the Wisconsin bar right away. For other states you have to practice for a varying number of years first.
     
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  7. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    From what I have read in terms of attrition, it would be a mistake to enter this type of program with a casual attitude and vague dream about wanting to be an attorney. You need to be bright, able to think like an attorney and passionate/driven/determined. Willing to sacrifice a significant portion of your life. Otherwise you become an also ran.

    It does offer an option for someone who is older and wants a second career or for whom the normal route won't work (eg single parent who must work or someone who has another business and cannot quit to go full time to law school). There was a Dentist with a practice that completed this type of program and I know of a business person with a family who went to med school. It can be done...but you need committment.
     
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  8. jonlevy

    jonlevy Active Member

    Full accreditation is a big deal. Not only does one get to skip the First Year Bar exam but it puts one on par with several bricks and mortar law schools. As for being non ABA accredited, so what. You can practice virtually with a California law license from anywhere in the world unless you planned on actually going to court which most lawyers don't. You can work full time and study law, I've done it so can you.
     
    Rich Douglas likes this.
  9. jonlevy

    jonlevy Active Member

    [QUOTE=" There was a Dentist with a practice that completed this type of program.[/QUOTE]

    You mean my friend Orly Taitz and Taft Law School graduate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orly_Taitz

    Despite all the flack she took from the MSM, she is licensed and in good standing and was never disciplined by the state bar.
     
  10. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    You mean my friend Orly Taitz and Taft Law School graduate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orly_Taitz

    Despite all the flack she took from the MSM, she is licensed and in good standing and was never disciplined by the state bar.[/QUOTE]

    Actually, no. I had forgotten about her. It was another one (think I saw her on Facebook).
     
  11. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    I wondered about that with the era of Zoom and most court filing done electronically. People can of course sign remotely as well.
     
  12. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    It really is. CalBar accreditation matters a lot in California. They are a distinct tier of law schools.
     
  13. schools

    schools New Member

    I was accepted to begin my studies at the Northwestern California University School of Law.
     
    sideman likes this.
  14. datby98

    datby98 Active Member

    Congratulations!
     
  15. life_learner

    life_learner Member

    Congratulations! NWCU Law is probably the best value. I am close to the finish line. One bad thing about law school is the amount of materials to memorize. It does not matter how well one understands the material. If one does not remember the legal rules well, then it will be difficult to spot legal issues and to write a good essay.
     
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  16. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Good luck, schools. Do you still have to log a minimum of 864 hours per year? If not, that's a huge advantage CalBar accreditation.
     
  17. life_learner

    life_learner Member

    At this point, the accreditation only applies to those admitted after the accreditation date. For the existing students, they are working on conversation by January 2022. I am not sure about the study log after conversion.
    At some point, they have made the study log weekly instead of daily so it's not a big trouble to keep a log. In reality, I probably spend more than 864 hours anyway.
     
  18. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Well, do the math. It's a daunting project. You'll be putting in about two and a half hours a day mostly seven days a week for four years. That's a lot of time and effort for a degree that will be limited, at first anyway, to California. I have to say, my Taft LLM took me more than two and a half calendar years and it was just 20 graduate semester hours. You will be earning about 21 semester hours per year. And I DID study at least two hours a day. I am NOT saying "Don't do it." Just know what you are getting into.
     
  19. life_learner

    life_learner Member

    It's daunting. Prior to their accreditation by Cal Bar, the first year attrition rate was about 75%. I will finish the 4th year in a few months but still have to put in a few more months for the bar exam. The amount of material that one needs to memorize for exams is just insane.
     
  20. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Are you going to use a commercial bar prep course?
     

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