Saratoga JD

The February 2004 Bar statistics compilation shows Van Norman as "no longer in operation."

 

Some very interesting points have been made here guys, but can we please stick to the original topic. Most of the posts in this thread are not really helping me solve the dilemma.

PS:I promised my girlfriend I would have here resume done for here next week.

 

I think we hit the point, but then moved on. I think the consensus was not to list it, particularly since there seems no employment value in it for her.


Tom Nixon

 

The BPPVE doesn't "accredit" schools. There is no listing for Van Norman University on the BPPVE search page.

http://app1.dca.ca.gov/bppve/school-search/

It's conceivable that a school by that name used to exist and has subsequently gone out of business. But if it exists today, it isn't operating legally in California and it wouldn't qualify its graduates to take the California state bar exam.

 

Actually, if she intends to take the Bar anytime soon, that could legitimately go on her resume.

 

The bottom line here is that it isn't our decision to make. It isn't your decision either. It's your girlfriend's decision. So don't ask us to decide for you, go ask her what she wants to do, then prepare her resume the way she wants it.

If it really were my decision, I would treat a Saratoga JD like any other non-accredited degree.

I would list it under "degrees" if I thought both that the program was sound and that I could successfully defend it to doubters.

Unfortunately, Saratoga never impressed me very much. It only listed a few faculty as I recall, and several of these were graduates of CA-approved law schools. And I seem to remember something about Saratoga's president being disciplined by the state bar. Combined with the school's "fly by night" nature (it literally seems to have flown by night, leaving its students stranded) and its uninspiring bar-pass rate, I wouldn't list it.

I would list it under "other education" if I thought that it did have real educational value, despite not coming up to the standard of a conventional degree. Saratoga did offer real instruction, it was bar qualifying and there are California attorneys practicing today with Saratoga degrees. So I would probably list it, but not alongside my other degrees. I'd probably put it alongside certificates, individual courses taken and stuff like that. I might add something about it having been a non-accredited DL program taken for personal interest, and that while it was bar qualifying, I didn't attempt the state bar exam.

 

So I guess my next big question would be. Since she already has a BA and an MA from a well respected school, do you think that having the JD on here resume might hurt here?

 

This reminds me of the country-western song,

"I can't pass the Bar and there's one my way home".