Expert: Robert Nunnally - 6/26/2001

Question
Although I have always wanted to go to law school, my family responsibilities and financial commitments have made it unfeasible for me. I am not looking into several distance learning law schools - my number one choice at this time is Concord, subsidiary to Kaplan, owned by Washington Post. Cost: About $5,000/year for 4 years. The rub: Not accredited by the ABA (no distance learning schools are). However, when I am finished, I am eligible to take the CA bar exam - and once I pass that, I am also eligible to take the bar exams in WI and VT. How much of a detriment will it be to me, when it comes time to job hunt, that the school I attended was not ABA accredited? I have to weight this against the fact that, unless I go the distance learning route, I will probably not be able to attend law school. (Even the least expensive one in Chicago is $17,000/year for 4 years). Thanks for your input.  

Answer
I am a big believer in distance learning.  Kaplan is a fine legal provider.  But I don't think that the time is right for distance law school.  The lack of the ABA credential will be a material detriment.  I have practiced with non-ABA grads, and they do build practices.  But the lack of an ABA credential is a major negative in job searching.  

You're far better to go to an ABA school with a night program, work a McJob during the day, and do school at night.  Many of the state schools in the midwest and south are much cheaper than 17,000/year, and some of those have night programs.

One odd alternative:  do a distance learning advanced degree in computer science from an accredited computer university by distance learning.  It must be CS accredited, not merely regionally accredited.  Then take the courses to prepare for, and pass, the patent bar as a patent agent.
Get a job as a patent agent in a Chicago firm--this is a hot specialty now.  Work a deal with the firm to give you tuition assistance at night at one of the night schools in Chicago.  This is a circuitous way to become a patent lawyer with "no money down" other than the initial distance learning costs.

P.S. If you wait a half decade or so, I suspect your options may expand on the distance learning front.


I have heard of folks taking the U of London distance learning LLB program, and then "Americanizing" it with an LLM from a US law school, but I'm not sure that this would be a great way to do things either.  It used to be that Americans could do the U London LLB, and then it was that they couldn't, and I do not know the current rule.