Students are able to earn online degrees, but are online programs accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) available? Can you get law degree online?
Online programs accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) are hard to find. The field of law is slowly keeping pace with the constantly growing popularity of distance learning.
Structure of online programs
Online law studies usually last four years. The academic year consists of 48 to 52 consecutive weeks. As with traditional law school programs, online law schools have some required courses and other elective courses that vary from institution to institution. Most online law schools meet virtually for classroom discussions, provide lectures and review texts, and have assignments and grades to perform.
One of the big differences between traditional law studies and online study programs is that many distance courses have more than one large exam at the end of the course that determines the student’s grade. One large exam is commonly found on more traditional courses at campus law schools.
Online degrees are available in areas related to law, such as legal assistant or legal studies, judicial reporting, legal research, law enforcement and criminal justice. The affiliate programs combine general education courses with specialized courses that support practical understanding of law, such as contracts, torts and injuries, legal and writing research, and professional ethics. An online bachelor’s degree in legal studies, criminal justice or parallel studies can be used to prepare students to graduate from law school or at a basic level in the field of law. Bachelor classes are usually heavy in political science, communication and writing.
Reasons ABA is reluctant to accredit online law schools
The legal profession has traditionally been conservative and slow to adapt to change. He also points out that ABA does not exert pressure to approve online law schools, as full-time schools have no problem encouraging candidates to pay high tuition bills.
Notes that 100,000 people submit 45,000 vacancies annually in ABA-accredited law schools. Average cost in 2008, according to ABA: around $ 50,000 to $ 100,000 per degree, depending on whether the school is public or private.
ABA rules may also reflect the belief that classroom interaction is an important part of legal education – something that ABA standard setters may not be aware of can be achieved through online classes. Lack of knowledge about how interactive, rigorous and relevant a good online legal program can be.
Finding a legal job
Many legitimate employers are still not fully involved in distance learning. The legal profession is reluctant to change in long-standing traditions, so not most leading law firms will be looking for ABA-accredited schools. Students with an online law degree can always work as a solo practitioner, but they will not benefit from the many benefits often encountered when working in a company, including solid resources and a wide support and connection network.