Looking For An ABA Accredited Online Law Degree?

If you are looking for an ABA Accredited Online Law Degree, I am afraid you are going to be disappointed to learn then, that there is no such thing as an ABA Accredited Online Law Degree program. The ABA, or American Bar Association, states in its guidelines for accrediting law programs, that "a law school shall not grant credit for study by correspondence." This is not the end of your online law degree entirely though, it just may simply complicate your plans depending on where you live, and your long term goals.

To begin with, what was your goal for this "ABA Accredited Online Law Degree?" There are two different paths for a Juris Doctor, the Executive Track and the Bar Track. If you want to practice law as an attorney then you will need to pass your state's bar exam and therefor, must find a program that will meet those requirements. However, if are using your degree to advance your career outside the court room, then the Executive Track will be adequate. Executive Track law degrees tend to take only 3 years as opposed to four, and there will be no need for your program to be ABA accredited. Just make sure that the school you take this program from is accredited by one the regional academic accrediting bodies.

If you want to practice law, but still absolutely must go to law school online, then you do have one final option. If you do not already live there, move to California. In California distance and online law programs that are approved by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California will allow distance law students to sit for the California Bar examination. If you successfully practice law in California for 5 to 7 years or more, then you will generally be eligible to try for the Bar Exam in other states. You also will be eligible to practice law in federal courts in any state if you successfully pass the California Bar Exam.

If you want to practice in local courts and moving to California is not an option, then you still have one more avenue. A few states, such as Washington and Colorado, still allow for people to become lawyers and take the state Bar Exam by apprenticing themselves to a state licensed attorney for a number of years and this will be considered an alternative to a Juris Doctor. While there is no ABA Accredited Online Law Degree, you should not give up on your dreams of being an attorney for that reason alone.

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