They're not breaking any laws.
To clarify-I went to Concord Law School one year. After that one year, I switched and went to Novus completing their requirements to graduate in two years. I did not take the Baby Bar, I was not interested in taking any bar exam, I am retired. I do work as a paralegal and the course work between the two schools has helped me in my job as a paralegal. My work on a criminal case resulted in a not guilty verdict for our client. Novus does have two accreditations and yes-As a retired college professor I am aware of their non ABA status. My work was supervised by a Juris Doctorate, won't give his name out without permission. It is up to each individual to decide the path they want to take-And the ABA is nothing more than a dues collecting organization. A state Supreme Court judge, where I live, does not believe that online school graduates should be kept from taking the bar just because they are not graduating from an ABA school.JUSTICE HEIPLE, dissenting:By the amendment to Rule 711 and by Rule 703, which was previously adopted, this court recognizes only law schools which have been approved by the American Bar Association. I both dissent and object to these rules because they represent an improper delegation of a governmental and judicial function to a trade association of lawyers.The American Bar Association is a voluntary association of dues paying lawyers (currently $225 per annum) that exists for the benefit of its members. No lawyer is required to belong. Most do not. It clothes its parochial existence with an overlay of public activities and pronouncements designed to convince the general public that it is interested in the general welfare. That its primary focus is the benefit of its members, however, is beyond question. That the American Bar Association is a trade association warrants neither commendation nor condemnation. As a trade association engaging in improving the status of lawyers and lobbying Congress and the State legislatures, it is on a par with any other trade association. It is decidedly not, however, an arm of the State of Illinois nor of this court.It is improper for this court to assign and delegate to that organization the ultimate decisionmaking function of deciding for the State of Illinois which law schools warrant official recognition. It would be proper, of course, for this court and its Board of Law Examiners (now, Board of Admissions to the Bar) to consider and weigh the evaluations of the American Bar Association in considering which law schools are to be approved. The work of the American Bar Association in evaluating law schools could be considered as relevant evidence in that regard. No objection could be raised to that procedure.This court, however, has no right to delegate its decisionmaking function to the American Bar Association, the Teamsters Union, the Republic of Uganda or any other such body or group. If the rule asserts a valid principle of law, then this court could as well assign all of its decisionmaking functions to others who might be considered experts in their field.For the reasons given, I respectfully dissent.
USDLA exists, anyone can join, it is a lobbying not accrediting organization:http://www.usdla.org/become-a-member/Same with CAEL, so the organizations are not fake, its just they do not accredit.It would be like claiming your AARP membership makes you a lawyer.
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