UmMusa Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Is it possible to go to law school online? Let's say you could arrange for maybe a few weeks at the physical school if necessary for exams and graduation, but otherwise, can a person go to law school by correspondence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 It is my understanding that bar exam pass rates are low and employment prospects slender for such options. The same is true for a number of lower quality but traditional campus based programs as well. It is a tough market for law right now and many folks from well respected or mid level law schools are struggling for decent paying work. So much of success post law school is based on networking, internships, clerkships and other face to face connections before and after graduation. Where you go to school determines those things to a great degree. I would be very leery of planning to enter the legal profession right now with a D-list degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 That's good to know. I'm asking for a friend of my mom's who lives overseas and wants to go to law school. She's probably in her 60's. Not sure what her goal is once she has a law degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 The friend hasn't researched it herself? There are online programs that will take people's money for just about any "degree." She knows her qualifications (already holds undergrad? taken LSAT? already holds JD in her country?) and goals (personal edification? employment? JD? LLM?). If she has not taken the initiative to google it or isn't internet-savvy enough to find the info, I don't see how she would be able to navigate an advanced degree program online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 The friend hasn't researched it herself? There are online programs that will take people's money for just about any "degree." She knows her qualifications (already holds undergrad? taken LSAT? already holds JD in her country?) and goals (personal edification? employment? JD? LLM?). If she has not taken the initiative to google it or isn't internet-savvy enough to find the info, I don't see how she would be able to navigate an advanced degree program online. Considering that we as a group are very non-traditional educators, it makes sense that UmMusa's mom asked her to look into the possibility for her friend. or that the friend asked UmMasa herself. People ask all sorts of questions for friends and family here? There is no need to be rude about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I did a quick google search and found these: http://www.obcl.edu/ http://www.concordlawschool.edu/Homepage.aspx I think the biggest challenge for your friend will be to be able to take the Bar in the state she lives in. But perhaps she wants to study law for her personal enrichment? Best wishes to her. ETA what about a paralegal program through a community college? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 I would have to assume this is just for fun/personal growth, basically. Among other things, it wouldn't make sense for someone living overseas to want an American law degree for the purpose of actually practicing unless they were planning to move back. From an employment perspective, I doubt that a JD from an on-line (and possibly unaccredited) school is worth the paper it's printed on. If it's just for personal growth, I don't have an opinion other than to note that replicating the law school environment, largely based on the Socratic method, would be difficult on-line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Absolutely not if it is for a professional purpose. These days unless you are graduating from a top tier law school it is very difficult to earn back what you put into getting the degree (hard even then!) For personal enrichment, there are lots of companies that also offer online legal classes that lawyers take to keep their skills up to date. Some have great packages - for just a few hundred dollars you can take a years's worth of CLE credits. Interesting classes and all online. Might be a good option for her. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 You need to ask her what her goal is, otherwise it seems difficult to answer the question. I don't think the ABA approves of online legal education, and so there are no ABA certified online law schools. Does she want to pass the Bar exam in a particular state? Most states require a JD from an accredited program to take the exam. Many law schools with easy criteria for entry have very low pass rates for the Bar. Otherwise, if it is just for personal enrichment, I'm all for that in general, it is very WEM, but seems like a very expensive personal pursuit, it might cost on the order of $30,000 to $50,000 dollars, all told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 Considering that we as a group are very non-traditional educators, it makes sense that UmMusa's mom asked her to look into the possibility for her friend. or that the friend asked UmMasa herself. People ask all sorts of questions for friends and family here? There is no need to be rude about it.I wasn't being rude. It was a serious question. We don't have any information about the friend. Where she lives, what her educational background is, what her goals are. There's no way to answer her question without that information. The person herself would be able to answer her own question easily and directly by googling the information. We're not talking about a simple online, open enrollment type class here. Two (if it's an LLM and she already holds a JD) or three-five (JD, depending full or part time) years of advanced graduate work. And tens of thousands of dollars. My mom has crazy friends. One kept asking her questions about to ask me about law school because her son in law wanted to go. Okay, well, he can call my DH's office and set up a lunch. What? He can't get to his office because he lost his license and his MIL has to drive them to work and to the store. Where did he go to college? He hasn't done that yet either. He has a GED. How much is it because they work minimum wage and blows their extra money on pot. The TV says you can do it with a GED. No, law schools do not advertise on TV at 3 am. There's a difference between a 6 week Sally Struthers correspondence school "law certificate" and law school. We have had several legal assistants from other countries who have "law degrees" from their home country. It's roughly the equivalent of a two-year associates degree for being a paralegal here. We have had clients whose cousin/neighbor went to "law school" (see 6 week course above) and steal money from them for legal advice. There is a W I D E array of what people consider to be law school. If her mom's friend has an undergrad degree, has taken the LSAT, and is searching for a law school to get her JD, I would be very, very surprised that she would start her search by asking the daughter of a friend in another country to ask her online homeschool group. Most likely her mother's friend is a bit eccentric and she's going to want to bang her head against the desk with each new request. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted September 9, 2013 Author Share Posted September 9, 2013 Oh gosh! I had a good laugh reading the replies. I have absolutely no details on this friend except for a small thing she posted on FB. After reading all the advice, it makes sense that if she really wants this then she can easily do a little research herself and know where she stands. Thanks for the insight. I'll tell my mom most of this and see if she wants to tell her friend. Thanks, guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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