How to Find an Accredited Online Law Degree Program

Going to law school is an experience that is both incredibly challenging and immensely rewarding. Unfortunately, not everyone has the chance to study law at a university. Not only is it expensive and difficult to get in, but law school is also very demanding of your time. There are many people who want to study law but are constrained by the requirements of their work or family. Perhaps you are such a person, who would like to earn a law degree but cannot take time off to attend university classes. In that case, you are the perfect candidate to go for an online law degree. Such online degrees are now available at many law universities, who are receptive to meeting the demand for online law programs for the growing number of people who require them.

Through an online law program, you can work to achieve the degree of Juris Doctor, which can possibly allow you to get into legal practice, depending on whether you choose to take the Bar program or the Executive program. If you take the Bar track, you will enroll in a four year program that is geared towards preparing you to take the state bar exam, which on passing will qualify you to practice law as an attorney. However, you can instead choose to take the Executive JD program, which is a three year course that will provide you with basically the same legal education, but will not qualify you to take the bar exam in your state or any other.

When you are looking into an online law degree program, it is important to check whether the program has the proper accreditation. That usually means accreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA), which is the leading national association for attorneys in the United States. If the program you take does not have the approval of the ABA, then you will not be allowed to sit for a bar exam in any state with the possible exception of California. (Programs accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California may qualify law students to sit for the bar exam, but only in California.)

You also have to consider the costs and financing options related to the online law degree program of your choice. Distance law programs, including online law degree programs, are on the whole less expensive than attending a traditional law course at the university. That is one of the reasons why getting an online law degree can be an attractive option to many.

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