Online Graduate Admitted by Mistake Denied LLM

This is an old article, but I figured it was relevant to this forum because this case set a precedent. Touro College believed that the plaintiff graduated from a brick and mortar law school located in the Philippines, but Novus University School of Law is an online school with an address in either California or Illinois. Therefore, Touro did not grant the plaintiff an LLM after he completed the program. Because the plaintiff did not supply transcripts until months after being admitted, and he didn't correct the director of the program when he assumed that Novus was in the Philippines, the appeals court ruled in favor of Touro College.



https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/masters_law_student_cant_compel_school_to_award_degree_appeals_court_says

 

I think this should depend on what was requested by the school and what was represented by the applicant.

I'm also troubled by this when you consider why the school had the requirement. Typically, pre-requisites are set to help ensure admitted applicants are able to be successful in the program. This is why we all know about cases where the stated pre-requisites were waived for special circumstances. But applying a pre-requisite after-the-fact seems excessive, unless the applicant misrepresented his/her credentials. After all, the concern about successfully doing the program is moot at that point.

During WWII, many men enlisted as underage boys by misrepresenting their ages. If discovered, they were discharged. But no one took their medals away, you know?

 

I think, some times its a licensing thing or State requirements, when state requires that the applicant earn an "approved" properly accredited degree before they can practice profession.
May have state laws or protocols that must be followed.
Especially when State Format degrees are granted.
Many colleges have controller to check all the requirements prior to graduation.
And some get picky.

 

Most LLM programs require the applicant to have a first law degree that qualified them for practice in their country. That's why the LLM program director assumed the Filipino applicant went to school in the Philippines. Novus is an unaccredited law school in the U.S.; their graduates are ineligible to sit for the bar exam in any U.S. state or territory. If this particular program was intended to qualify foreign students for licensing in the U.S., the plaintiff wouldn't have qualified with the LLM because he also needed a valid first law degree.

 

I'm reminded of the case of Ross Mitchell, who graduated from the completely online Concord Law School, then sued Massachusetts to take the bar exam (Massachusetts requires ABA-accredited or state-approved B&M schools of which there's only one, Massachusetts School of Law).

The Supreme Judicial Court (state supreme court) sided with Mitchell, allowing him to take the bar exam, which he passed on the first attempt.

http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/452/452mass582.html

 

Concord is an accredited school that allows a pathway to becoming a lawyer in California. Novus has no accreditation and isn't eligible in any state. They have a note telling their students that their pathway to becoming an attorney is to do an apprenticeship program, which they can do without paying Novus for a worthless degree.

For newbies to this area, do not attend a school like Novus thinking you can sue your way into being able to sit for the bar exam. I think it's important for this forum to make that clear. Is this forum now promoting unaccredited institutions that don't meet licensing requirements? Just go ahead and encourage people to set their money on fire.

 

Good question. And this "law school" is a good example. My take: Some members are doing this - many aren't. Some are wise enough in the ways of devious "schools" that they don't really care, because they won't be taken in. And I think there's always been a surprising amount of credulity and "belief in the unbelievable", here. Nowadays we hear of (supposed) "propio" doctorates (that aren't) and all kinds of other nonsense, from schools lacking either accreditation or principles, sometimes both. And I believe some members have indeed "set their money on fire," with iffy (at best) institutions. (Significant sums in some cases.) And others search for years for that elusive "super-cheap super-fast super-easy" PhD wall-hanger. Legality important (sometimes), legitimacy - mostly not.

"Aw, he-he-he, lol, Johann, don't be so pernickety. I found this li'l ol' Universidad, says it's accredited in Spanish Sahara (which hasn't existed since 1976) sellin' doctorates in anythin' you want - for peanuts. Let's all belly-up to the Registrar's office with our coupons, 'fore them locals snaps 'em all up...."