Northwestern California University, School of Law.

[jennid1234]

273 graduates have passed the BAR Examination for a bar pass rate of 36% since 2003.  But the question you asked was what are these grads who passed the bar doing?  On LinkedIn comments stated by the alumni this week: a few are in solo practice, one in-house legal counsel, one is a nurse who travels around the country giving health care legal lectures, another is an attorney at CBS Legal, one works with oversees law firm - these were just from the comments this week.  Also, 4 have been admitted to the US Supreme court bar.  Concord offers a EJD degree also and the majority of comments from EJD grads state satisfation with the EJD degree, it's all about preference and differing opinions.  Concord has posted the following alumni news: a graduate is director of governance at Symantec, another works in Long Island and he was awarded one of the top 25 advocates for Latino Empowerment, another is a mediator for a divorce website, another is an associate for Broadfoot & Assoicates with practice focused on family law and criminal law, and lastly, a graduate was appointed as county counsel in Lassen Co.

You also asked if the school has any career guidance, every couple of months there is a live lecture with lawyers regarding different legal areas that Concord wants to bring our attention to, last month it was in the horse breeding industry, a couple months back it was music entertainment and I think another was about Indian law (but I can't remember the specifics and I didn't listen to the lecture.

Always remember reasonable minds can disagree.

[jonlevy]

Any attorney who has five years good standing can get admitted to the US Supreme Court as long as they are breathing, that is a non achievement.
Concord's PR department paints a rosy picture but the reality is much different.

But passing the bar with an online degree is a great achievement given the odds are about 10-1 against (a lot of students washout at FYBL or just quit). If you can pass the bar, you can handle solo practice, just don't expect any respect from other attorneys.

[legend]

Any attorney that doesn't respect an opposing counsel is probably going to get their ass handed to them. If an attorney has passed the bar they can file motions against you, order sanctions against you, etc, and if you respond with your honor he/she went to an online school their motion for summary judgment doesn't count will not be much of an argument and your client will lose the case and you may be disciplined for saying that.

There are sitting judges from California bar schools and I imagine it is only a matter of time until a judge from an online school gets appointed if it has not happened already. Try disrespecting a judge based on what school they go to and see how it works out.

Again I don't think anyone is arguing California Northwestern or any Online school is going to open more doors than ABA school and there are likely firms that will not hire non-aba yet alone online law grads. There are also places that won't hire you unless you went to Harvard, but in a country with 300 million or so people in it there will be different opinions.

I personally wouldn't attend an online law school, but I am one. There are people out there that won't attend law school unless they get into Harvard, Yale, Stanford. There are people that won't date anyone that doesn't look like a supermodel and there are people that couldn't possibly drive anything less than a 2009 Ferrari. There is a broad range of expectations in this world and whether online law school works for you or not is a personal decision. Talk to people directly involved with the school and not just the PR department as they are certain to paint a rosier picture than the reality that is their job after all.

Always be wary of anonymous internet posters that know nothing about you, your situation, or what is best for you myself included.

Online law school may work out it may not and if any of us knew how our decisions would turn out life would be a lot less stressful. Again use your common sense when making the decision and good luck to you!

[jonlevy]

"Any attorney that doesn't respect an opposing counsel is probably going to get their ass handed to them."

ROTFL - apparently you are not acquainted with insurance company retained defense lawyers.

[jennid1234]

California allows non-ABA-accredited law school grads to sit for its bar exam. It is the only state that does so today, but that will change in time. Wisconsin and Vermont, have policies allowing lawyers licensed in other states to sit for bar exams, even if those lawyers earned degrees from online schools.  Massachusetts let a Concord grad sit for their bar exam after being challenged.  Barry Currier, a former dean at Concord Law School is a consultant at the ABA right now and has worked for the ABA in the past, PLEASE google him and concord - read what he states about the ABA.  Times are a changing, if you want to pay 50,000 a year at a brick and mortar school, be my guest, it doesn't get you a job at a law firm and you may possibly struggle paying off your student loans.  I'm not saying I wouldn't go to a brick and mortar school, if it was reasonably in my budget and if I was assurred a job that would manage that kind of debt.  I loved going to school and graduated with a degree in Political Science (not online), it cost me about 36,000 and I did it in three years, worked three jobs too, but today at my age, I couldn't see paying 150,000 for a law degree (and the schools that are only 150,000 for that degree teach the same courses as the online courses offered at Concord - same books too, same tests but we learn at our pace, we also learn early to be very organized with time management - most the lawyers I work with have a problem with time management and rush to get things out - LOL, they have a lot more gray hair than I do). My only regret, I missed the FYLSE review with my classmates the weekend before the test in Pasadena due to budget limitations I took the test in Oakland and then my mother (in her 70's joined me to just relax for a few days in gardens in the bay area) but I think all those who took the test from Concord are incredibly intelligent and some of us will pass that hurdle on the first attempt and not have to take it again in October.  In 2012, I think there was over 100 first year students that began studying at Concord, it will probably be less than 70 that will make it to graduation, but most of us that do will not regret it!

"Concord Law School has helped define the future of legal education by making it accessible and affordable for working professionals seeking to attain a professional law degree," said Barry Currier.

I love that people think our law degree is substandard, that attorney's will think we are not good enough - regardless of Concord's PR, graduates are succeeding in all areas of the legal profession and even in business.  I read about another grad last night - he's a VP at a bank in Arizona - his legal degree definitely will help him in his profession.    The people who talk down to online grads have issues all their own and I know attorneys - that don't feel my degree is any different than their degree.  LOL, I hope to be an excellent lawyer, I'm older, wiser and love learning! 

Good luck in achieving your dreams!  I'm achieving mine!

[Maintain FL 350]

Disrespecting an attorney because of whree they went to law school is the lamest thing in the world. Yes, it happens, and perhaps it's even common, as JonLevy pointed out, but it's still lame. People choose to go to various law schools for highly personal, specific reasons: geographic,  limitations, familial obligations, etc.

In the end, however, everybody has to pass the same bar exam whether you went to Concord or Harvard. In this way the bar exam can be the great equalizer. I have some specific issues with online schools (like the fact that the LSAT is not required), but I would never assume that someone who has passed the CA bar is anything less than qualified. Frankly, I'd probably have more respect for an online grad who passed the CA bar than an ABA grad from a state that has a 90% pass rate or no exam requirement at all.

Will online schools ever be regarded in the same fashion as brick and mortar traditional schools? I don't think so, but I would never discredit their acheivement.

[jonlevy]

Most online grads who are lawyers practice in California or go for some form of federal practice. You can motion into the DC bar after five years.  You can also take the English QLTS after two years because England has a reciprocity agreement with California, same with the Ireland QLTT. You will not be welcomed in any other state besides California and DC. One Concord grad got into Massachusetts because he petitioned the state supreme court and had strong connections to the state, I think a Taft grad got admitted in Idaho, another Taft grad I know was hung out to dry by New Mexico. As for other states like Wisconsin, while admission may be possible, I think the stories are anecdotal.  Just becuase an admission in a state is theoretically possible, without a very strong connection to a state, it is all but impossible.  In 20 years of practice, I have worked with and encountered exactly two online grads.

[Nor-Cal]

You know what I found interesting. There is an attorney in my area that is very well known and he has a great reputation. He graduated from a tier one law school and he has been practicing law for a very long time. I was cruising around his website and noticed his son just joined his law firm. I was curious so I looked him up and it seems his son graduated from a non ABA school accredited by Cal-Bar. Being that the kid came from a family of attorney's will alot of money, but yet he didn't go the ABA . . . . . . very interesting.

[Duncanjp]

Any attorney that doesn't respect an opposing counsel is probably going to get their ass handed to them. If an attorney has passed the bar they can file motions against you, order sanctions against you, etc, and if you respond with your honor he/she went to an online school their motion for summary judgment doesn't count will not be much of an argument and your client will lose the case and you may be disciplined for saying that.

There are sitting judges from California bar schools and I imagine it is only a matter of time until a judge from an online school gets appointed if it has not happened already. Try disrespecting a judge based on what school they go to and see how it works out.

Again I don't think anyone is arguing California Northwestern or any Online school is going to open more doors than ABA school and there are likely firms that will not hire non-aba yet alone online law grads. There are also places that won't hire you unless you went to Harvard, but in a country with 300 million or so people in it there will be different opinions.

I personally wouldn't attend an online law school, but I am one. There are people out there that won't attend law school unless they get into Harvard, Yale, Stanford. There are people that won't date anyone that doesn't look like a supermodel and there are people that couldn't possibly drive anything less than a 2009 Ferrari. There is a broad range of expectations in this world and whether online law school works for you or not is a personal decision. Talk to people directly involved with the school and not just the PR department as they are certain to paint a rosier picture than the reality that is their job after all.

Always be wary of anonymous internet posters that know nothing about you, your situation, or what is best for you myself included.

Online law school may work out it may not and if any of us knew how our decisions would turn out life would be a lot less stressful. Again use your common sense when making the decision and good luck to you!

Legend,

Pretty eloquent comment. You clearly have a widescreen option for your field of vision. Well said.

[jonlevy]

You know what I found interesting. There is an attorney in my area that is very well known and he has a great reputation. He graduated from a tier one law school and he has been practicing law for a very long time. I was cruising around his website and noticed his son just joined his law firm. I was curious so I looked him up and it seems his son graduated from a non ABA school accredited by Cal-Bar. Being that the kid came from a family of attorney's will alot of money, but yet he didn't go the ABA . . . . . . very interesting.

If you are going to work for your Dad, as long as junior has a law license, his degree is irrelevant.  But no one chooses non ABA, if they have money and ability.  And choosing online is for those who either geographically can't attend a law school, can't get into one, or otherwise have issues with sitting in classes due to time contraints or disability. The only exception might be something like the external program at London University but in the US we do not have ABA law schools that also have online programs.