What Do You Think About Online Law School

[Julie Fern]

and see what happened to him?

[PresClay_00]

yeah, he got shot

[oldmom]

Hi everybody

I am a dropout from the Concord Law School (online). I LOVED the curriculum, was close to the top of my class, went through nearly 2 years of school and then decided that it's not worth it - I will never be able to practice law in my state of NY with a non-ABA JD, no matter how good the actual khowledge will be, also, NY has THE toughest laws in the country (opinion courtesy of my trial lawyer husband), and you really need to know not only CrimPro, but, for example, NY state CrimPro etc.

So - dropped out, waited 3 years, desire to go to law school did not go away. Took LSAT which I did not have to take in an online law school, got my 157, got accepted at an ABA law school in my state - and am going to start this coming fall.

Again, education at Concord is GREAT, the academic process is very enriching, I hope I will be using that knowledge in my "brick-and-mortar" law school (they did not give me any credit for any studies in an online school - this is NY), but - my purpose was to practice law, and a non-ABA JD is just the wrong piece of paper...

Take care

[bobkoff]

 Interesting thing is I read that 3 more states as recent as 2 months ago are now going to accept concord degrees to sit for their Bar. I thing this online law school is way too new and as time passes we will see more and more acceptance. The presodent of concord was the former ABA director.
Look, the bottom line is, you pass the Ca bar and you are a lawyer equally accredited as if you wnet to Yale, period.

[jacy85]

Look, the bottom line is, you pass the Ca bar and you are a lawyer equally accredited as if you wnet to Yale, period.

I sure most legal employers would LOVE to disagree with this statement.

[prelaw45]

I live in CA so my view of Concord may be more favorable than that of people in other states.  I find that passing the CA Bar is a difficult task no matter what school you attend.  Granted ABA schools are superb, but I couldn't get into one.  My UGPA from '83 is too low.  Married with three kids and a job, I wasn't able to spend enough time to do my best on the LSAT and ABA schools rely heavily on these factors.  With that said, I am contemplating Concord.

I think it is an excellent law school and is gaining in acceptance.  I read that they are working hard to open opportunities for their graduates in other states.  With the backing of Kaplan, The Washington Post, previous officals of the ABA, top professors, etc..., they are likely to succeed.  State Bars have ridiculous rules.  For instance, many allow graduates from foreign law schools to sit for their exams, but not graduates from non-ABA or unaccredited US law schools.  Concord is challenging some of these rules and their efforts seems to working according to the previous poster.

Concord's bar passage rate is pretty good, so it must be doing something right.  Some say that you can't get a job after going there.  I think that depends on your overall qualifications.  I have a BSCS, an MSCS, and over 17 years experience as a Computer Scientist/Software Engineer.  I am interested in patent law and after passing the PTO exam, I have been told by patent lawyers that where you went to school is not as critical as how extensive your technical background is.  So for me, it makes sense.

I could always go get my LLM at an ABA school after graduation.  Schools like Boalt Hall and USF will accept applications from anyone with a JD, not just ABA school graduates.
 

[SWM]

An Online JD?!  I'm biased against online unbdergraduate degrees. I don't have any experience with any on-line programs, but it seems to me that those who acquire their degrees via an online school, such as University of Phoenix, are deprived of the intellectual interchange between and among students and faculty that you would have in a typical classroom environment. This intellectual interchange is essential for learning how to "think on your feet" and develop as a student and ultimately as a lawyer.

[prelaw45]

I agree SWM, the "think on your feet" aspect of legal education is vital.  I haven't decided on Concord yet, but I feel that after almost 20 years of professional experience in the software industry, I have already had ample experience doing just that.  Others who take this route are probably the same.

[SWM]

I'm just curious, but do you have competing obligations that preclude you from attending a non-online program?  How much is tuition?

[bobkoff]

The problem is, many of the prospective law school students as well as people on these boards lack the maturity to see past the "name and glitz" of some of the more well known law schools. Lets face it, a 22 year old is really more concerned with pride and ego, so when in a club he can say "I go to Yale or Harvard" etc. No 22 year old wants to tell his friends that he is going to law school online. this is not meant to be insulting, but its the truth, most of the people in that age group lack the maturity to see through the stigma of online education. Last week I took an LSAT prep cpurse, and we were all asked for a quick bio and to tell the class why we want to be a lawyer. SO many people said "to make alot of money"-this is the mentality we see here on this board as well.
You really need to understand the type of student that would go to an online law school. I will give you my bio for rexample. I am 42 years old, owned several successful business up until now, I sold my business interest and now I am working as a sales exec. I make approx 160k per year in sales. So you see, I already have a good income and I dont want to be a lawyer so I can "make alot of money" lol. I really want to get a law degree for several reasons, first, I have a burning desire to study law, law fascinates me especially constitutional law. I am contemplating Concord because I have done alot of research, and if you do the same you will see that concoed has some TOP-notch quality professors there.  This is not a fly by night operation. the faculty is quite impressive. In fact, in comparison to a copuple of NY law schools where I live its even better! The student body at concord consists of Airline pilots, a few Medical doctors, college professors, and other people who are already successful in life and now want to fulfill a dream of becoming a lawyer. The bottom line is, Concord is acredited by the state and after 4 years you CAN SIT FOR THE CA BAR,and with that you will be able to practice in federal courts through out ALL the US ! Things are rapidly changing and most professionals agree that distance learning via the internet is the thing of the future, while it will never replace the conventional classroom, it certainly will rival it. I am confident that more and more states will accept online education for their Bar exam requirements. And also, Concoed is cconsiderd the best of the best of online law schools, so they will certainly be the first to be ABA accredited when that finally happens, and yes I predict that within the next 5 years ABA will acept this type of school. SO my goal is to be a lawyer period, Concord will get me there.
Now on the other hand, if I were in my 20s and just starting out then yes perhaps I would want to go to a Yale ot NYU etc because after law school when I go looking for a job I will definately do better with that name brand degree. But my desire is to get licensed and maybe someday go into private practice. At this point in my life I would never consider working for a law firm.
Bottom line is, dont knock something you really dont know anything about........