It's hard to motivate yourself in an online school.  I know, I graduated from Concord on Feb 28.  I took the bar exam too, I'm still a little in shock.  In 30 days I find out if I passed.  I highly recommend CLS, IF, you can stay focused, hold a job and study into the late nights and all weekend.  I am finally starting to get caught up on current events, and I read a novel on March 1.  So whether a person goes to a traditional school or now the online it takes a lot of your time.  I read somewhere on this discussion board that online schools don't partake in traditional activities.  CLS does, two teams sent to Moot Court competitions.  LEEP - is our legal intern program that puts 4L students into law offices all over the country, CLS is for real, at graduation they announced we almost have 2000 graduates!  I have a JD, and if I didn't pass the bar this time, I'm sure to pass it in July.  WHY?  Because I was pretty confident at this sitting, loved the essay questions, especially the partnership one.  As for the Performance Tests!  Who wouldn't want to argue the confrontation clause to keep out testimonial hearsay!  Yes, I loved it plus on a personal note, the name of the defendant (fictional or not) made me feel weird, my son's name.  I looked around the room looking for cameras and wondered who at the bar decided to mess with my head! 

30 more days!  Then I found out.  Yes, I will be practicing and loving every minute of it.  I can write simple wills, have extensive contract drafting background, have been assisting attorneys filing articles of incorporation/organizations in over 13 states.  Prepare hundreds of consent resolutions, bylaws, operating agreements and have been filing SEC EDGAR documents for the last 15 years.  I can and will practice business, family law, estate planning, real estate and now I want to learn immigration, my passion to help refugees all over the world.  I'll do that pro bono and I have tons of administrative law experience.  I'm 53 and soon to be a lawyer!

Bar pass rates. 

I just received this from CLS - the schools bar pass rates since the students started taking the Cal Bar Exam: 

Since Concord graduates started sitting for the General Bar Examination in February 2003, 862 graduates have taken the exam. They have an ultimate pass rate of 52.3% (302 first time and 149 repeat-taker passers, for a total of 451 graduates passing).

JD via online, it is available. On another note, credible?  Is the degree credible, I think  it is the October issue of Los Angeles Lawyer, cover photo is a CLS grad!  NICE!  Plus I know 4 CLS grads who opened a law firm in OC this past year! 

We online learners must take another exam: the FYLSE, which I think there are about 100 CLS students taking that today. 

CLS Stat's on passing: Since Concord students started sitting for the First Year Law Students’ Examination in October 1999, 3,122 students have taken the exam. They have an ultimate pass rate of 48.9% (1,015 first-time and 513 repeattaker passers, for a total of 1,528 students passing).

I was a repeater on the FYLSE, passed 2nd time around.  So what does this all mean?  I think the ABA better wake up! We are going to better than those traditional graduates soon, we work harder, play harder and even open up profitable law firms together and DON'T overbill our clients like XYZ or ACME LP mainstream firms are doing now. 

I read a book recently about this trade being a dead end, the end of lawyers.  Don't believe it, we onliners are changing the playing field for the better.

FYLSE - results are out for the June test!  I'm curious to hear about the results.

Anyone know if they know people who passed it? It is a hard test, was it similar to October's.  The 2012 test in June was very hard but if I took it today, I think I'd pass it!  Studying is everything, practice does make those IRAC writings seem to flow more easily and my rule statements? I have not forgotten one, all the way to remdies for breach of contract, UCC, offer, acceptance, ETC.  Torts was fun, especially intentional batteries, can't imagine not having intent when angry enough to hit my boss (LOL and JK) but I still dream fact patterns with murder - they always test on murder.  I never dreamed of that before law school - brings out the criminal in us all.  But now I'm in the most wonderful classes and GET IT - evidence, professional responsibility, corporations and legal analysis - getting ready to write a BRIEF! 

I passed that FYLSE last October.  548 took the test and only 86 passed, 99 second timers from Concord (CLS) took it and 13 passed.  I was one of the 13;)  It is a hard test for nontraditional part time students.  I'm 51, 4 months to go and I finish my third year at CLS.  I have books to start studying for the BAR EXAM and I am starting this weekend with practice essays and multiple choice questionsg.  I will take the exam in Feb of 2015, just after finishing my year four at CLS.  Well, this year 28 CLS students took the bar exam in FEB, 8 passed.  I can do it, I can;)  LOL, stressed NO, preparing to beat that test.  I sure don't want to have to take it twice.  CAN'T WAIT.

Every quarter Concord Law School posts alumni updates and many of the graduates are in government jobs some administrative, others practicing law.  The graduates are not all sole practishioners, we even have a group of four that started their own law firm last year.  So, it doesn't matter the route you take, if you are good at being a lawyer then who cares if you are at a prominent law firm. I do a lot of volunteering and I also work full time, in my 3rd year now at Concord and during this economic hard time, what I consider my biggest asset is being active in the community which does make a difference.  Not only is your skill important upon graduation but overall character counts too.  Real tired of the snobs out there that think online or schools not of ABA status challenging our credentials and potential.  Choose a school that is a best fit for you!  You will succeed.

This is a piece of history where the total bar passage rate was below 50%.  Check out the news article from 1984

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lcw8AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Xi4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=5214,3946924&dq=california+state+bar+unaccredited+schools&hl=en