Think hard before you pursue a law degree from an online school.
Concord Law School offers a distance learning program that meets the state of California's requirements for earning a Juris Doctor degree. But you should be aware that Concord, like all law schools that only offer online study, is not approved by the American Bar Association, or ABA. The flexibility that an online law school provides is appealing, but deciding to enroll in one should be made after a lot of thought, because the differences between an online law school and a traditional law school are huge.
Instructions
1. Think about what state you would like to practice law in. A degree from Concord Law School allows you to take the bar examination only in California. Most states require bar applicants to hold a degree from an ABA-accredited law school, so sitting for their bar exams may be a problem if your J.D. is from an online school. If you pass the bar in California, you may be able to waive into another state, but only after years of practicing the law in California.
2. Look at the bar passage rates of Concord Law school, or the online law school you are thinking of. This is one of the most important to things to look at because it will tell you how well the school is preparing you for the practice of law. After you you graduate from Concord Law School, you have to take the California "baby bar" and pass it before you can even sign up for the real bar exam. The California bar pass rates for Concord Law students is extremely low, as only 26.6 percent of its students (first-time and repeat bar applicants) passed the California bar in February 2009.
3. Ask licensed attorneys how they view graduates of online law schools. The legal market is saturated with graduates from accredited law schools, so an online law school graduate may face a tough time competing with them in the job market.
4. Check out the cost and duration of the online law school. Concord Law School students have to attend school for four years to get their J.D., whereas traditional law students only have to attend for three. Is the extra time and money worth it?
5. Speak to graduates of the online law school program you are thinking of attending. Try not to go through the school itself to find graduates. Search online for practicing attorneys who can give you a real perspective of the school.
Tags: online school, Concord School, degree from, from Concord, from Concord School, from online, from online school