Online Law Degrees

Times are changing, even in the traditional halls of legal academia. Historically, law students could not sit for the bar exam unless they graduated from an American Bar Association-accredited law school. ABA-approved schools only allow graduates to take up to 12 credit hours of classes online.

However, reflecting a national demand for distance learning, law schools are beginning to offer more online courses. And, for the first time in the nation’s history, a lawyer who received his entire legal education online is now licensed to practice law, The National Law Journal reports. This Spring, Ross E. Mitchell graduated from Concord Law School, a non-ABA-approved law school that offers an exclusively online legal education.

Last November, Mitchell won his case against the state's Board of Bar Examiners, which denied his bid to bypass a requirement that U.S.-trained applicants be graduates of an American Bar Association-accredited law school. The court allowed Mitchell to sit for the bar because the ABA is mulling changes to its accreditation standards.

Distance learning programs are one of the fastest-growing components of higher education. However, if you are considering a law degree, think twice about obtaining your degree exclusively online. Although Mitchell paved the way for allowing online law school graduates to sit for the bar, online grads will face an uphill battle in finding gainful employment in today's competitive job market.