Law School Discussion

Being incorporated in the RMI (Republic of the Marshall Islands) means nothing except someone incorporated an offshore company. It in no way implies any approval by the RMI. And I can assure you, no one from Novus is resident in the RMI. I would say it is a gray area at best - diploma mills are one reason why DL and correspondence law degrees are held in such disrepute. Places like Novus make it harder for everyone who is pursuing a legitimate DL law degree and seeking to practice law because ignorant and biased people fail to realize the difference between studying law for a degree and just paying money for a diploma.

5 years PQE apparently permits one to take the attorney exam in Maryland regardless of degree:

http://www.courts.state.md.us/ble/pdfs/baradmissionrules.pdf

Rule 13. OUT-OF-STATE ATTORNEYS
(a) Eligibility for Admission by Attorney Examination--Generally
A person is eligible for admission to the Bar of this State under this Rule if the person
(1) is a member of the Bar of a state;
(2) has passed a written bar examination in a state;
(3) has the professional experience required by this Rule;
(4) successfully completes the attorney examination prescribed by this Rule; and
(5) possesses the good moral character and fitness necessary for the practice of l

Non ABA is not what we are looking for - we are looking for online and correspondence admissions.

Here's the Iowa (on of the good ones) admits with only 5 years PQE without discrimination as to degree:


http://www.iowacourtsonline.org/Professional_Regulation/Bar_Admission__Practice_Rules/Admission_without_Examination/
Applying for Admission without Examination

Iowa offers admission without examination (admission on motion) for attorneys licensed in another state or the District of Columbia who can demonstrate a prolonged period of the actual practice of law without significant character or fitness problems.

 

What are the basic requirements for admission on motion?


The applicant must:

 
·         have been admitted to another state of the United States or the District of Columbia,

·         have practiced law five full years while licensed within the seven years immediately preceding the date of the application and still holds a law license, 

·         be of good moral character, and

·         file a certificate of admission, a certificate of regular practice, a certificate of good moral character, and a completed fingerprint card with the Office of Professional Regulation.

 
Who is not eligible for admission on motion?

An applicant is not eligible for admission on motion if:

·         the applicant is currently subject to lawyer discipline in another jurisdiction, 

·         the applicant failed the Iowa bar examination within five years of the date of the application, or

·         the applicant has failed five or more bar examinations.   

The general proviso written into most bar admission rules is that correspondence school graduates and presumably DL grads cannot qualify under most exceptions that might be available to non ABA grads in general.

Great job on the research!

As to your legality question, since Barkley was not representing itself as something it was not (ABA approved) then I do not see how Kentucky could stop it from setting up shop unless it was making material misrepresentations.  There have been several lawsuits and at least one pending one by a former student pro se who claims Barkley was a RICO enterprise and engaged in loan fraud of some sort.

Novus on the other hand, may cross the line into diploma mill territory which can be illegal.