Online Law Degree Approved by American Bar Association
The Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego has trekked into the wilderness of ABA-approved online law degrees. It has created the first online law degree to be offered by an ABA-approved school – ever.
As online schools change the landscape of college options, the American Bar Association (ABA) has watched from the sidelines, carefully considering whether any online law program is worthy of its approval. Until recently, none has met the ABA’s tough standards. This has concerned those who feel that student entry into law school has become elitist, with a lack of adequate representation of women and minorities.
But now, the Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) offers an online degree — the LL.M., or Master of Laws degree. The focus of this advanced law degree is on international tax and financial services, with a line-up of distinguished law professors and an interactive format designed to intertwine the latest educational technology with top legal talent.
Thomas Jefferson School of Law seeks to be a pioneer in utilizing faculty excellence and a well-engineered multimedia program to bring the training of lawyers into the technology forefront, introducing the opening up of new options for those who wish to make a difference by extending justice and legal expertise where it is needed.
Although TJSL’s online degree is pricey at roughly $1,000 a unit, the school has constructed a successful model for future online law degree programs.
This taming of the online law school wilderness by TJSL and others will hopefully lead to an opening up of online legal education to those who are qualified and motivated to make a positive difference in their communities and the world.
online degree, online law degree, law school, online schools, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, American Bar Association, Master of Laws, international tax law, financial services, technology, education, educational technology, lawyer, San Diego, bar exam
Popularity: 30% [?]
Posted by vida
May 12th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Until there is a JD program online that is accepted by the ABA, there is no real online law degree in the way people view law degrees.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Even worse and this is from the website:
“To qualify for admission to the TJSL LL.M. Program, students submitting an application must have earned their first law degree (LL.B. or equivalent) outside the United States.
the TJSL LLM program is NOT open to people who went to school in the US.
May 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
You may be interested in an article about online law schools in the New York Times entitled, Virtual Jurisprudence (April 2004). The article focuses primarily on Concord Law School; and it highlights the future benefits of a virtual law degree and the not-so-lofty reasons why the American Bar Association is not motivated to fully approve any online law school, no matter how high the quality of that virtual school’s education. I hope you find the article illuminating.
May 15th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Regarding the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, the quote PHEEEE provided was taken out of context. TJSL offers 3 different LL.M. programs, including the LL.M. in American Legal Studies for Foreign Law Students. Obviously, the qualifications for that program include being a graduate of a foreign law school. TJSL has stringent requirements for any foreign student applying for their other law degree programs.
In addition, TJSL is fully approved by the American Bar Association.
May 16th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I am interested in how many states will allow you to take their bar exam with an LLM done at your School ??? Pa Ky ???
May 19th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Although Concord Law School is one of our listed colleges, TJSL is not. You may directly contact Thomas Jefferson School of Law for additional answers to your question. But since they are an ABA-approved law school, eligibility for the state bar should not be a problem, provided the bar exam applicant has successfully graduated from TJSL and has met all other requirements.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:56 am
Perhaps ABA should consult with educators familiar with on line learning. Being and expert in law does not necessarily make one an expert on pedagogy or educational psychology.
I have taught online and know how engaging it can be. Like anything, it can be used correctly or incorrectly. However, every online discussion and posted work in every online classroom can be saved for future accreditation review as a simple matter of archiving the existing data. It is more difficult to do this with live classrooms. Indeed, it would be a monumental task.
ABA has to come out of the 19th century and realize that law schools have 21st century students, problems and needs.
April 7th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Fight for what is right
I just don’t see why we need to be subject to this standards such as the ABA rules. Plus, besides the the ABA is a volunteer program that lawyers are not require to register. Is just merely serves as a token that you are in and that is it.
Why can we study the same way our founder fathers did. Look at Lincoln for example; he didn’t go to law school, he learned by self-taught. The problem occurs that these schools think they are the only ones that can teach the law. These agencies such as the ABA or society has brain wash us that the only way to attain in legal education is by going through the whole blahbie blahbie traditional law school method. And in my opinion, I don’t believe that this is the only way to have a legal education. Remember… education happens at all times. We learn every day as we grow old. And you know what they say, ” Experience is what counts at the end” We all have the capabilities to reason and analyze problems in a lawyerly like manner. The only thing that stopping us from thinking like lawyers is the RULES OF LAW that is it. If you know how to add 1+1 and come up with the answer; then you already know how to break and apply the rule of law to a case.
Let’s say for example that your car got broken into in the middle of the night. You went outside and you discover that your passenger window is completely broken into pieces and your brand new system such as your CD player you just bought– is now gone.
How would you determined whether the suspect is criminally liable for this offense? I tell you how you need to do it. You’ll do it by analyzing the facts, plus applying the law to the facts. But first you need to find out whether Burglary is a crime in your state (which am sure Burglary it is) Let’s brake this rule.
Burglary
Is The breaking
and entering
of the dwelling house
of another
in the the nighttime
with the intent to commit a felony or larceny therein
Let’s play.
How do you think prosecutors prosecute someone of such crimes? They do it by finding every single piece of the rule. Which most law schools they call it ” Legal Reasoning” Well now that you know that– all you have to do is to prove that you have every single piece of the rule.
Let’s see if we have every piece of it.
Ask yourself this question. What is the issue here? Can the suspect be charge with the crime of Burglary?
Your issue is BURGLARY >.. ANYTHING YOU SAY< must be explained. Such as the 1+1=2.
Larceny occured when he detached the CD player from the car itself and took it with him. Therefore suspect is criminally liable and thus burglary is establish.
You see how simple this is.
But you have be very analytical. If they ask you one thing, talk about one thing only. Don’t deter yourself from adding stuff out your head that the facts does not state BE VERY ANALYTICAL!!
Do you see how simple this is? Of course, writing can be a pain the rear end. But focus on the story, don’t worry about grammar and all that non-sense crap they teach us at English class. Focus on CLARITY and don’t forget your audience. Make the story your own. Make the facts come alive. And LEARN THE RULES. If you do this, you will do awsome in your essays.
As one professor said “FORGET ALL THE RULES of GRAMMAR and FOCUS ON CLARITY”
As you can see, everything is possible. Now, let me ask you somthing… Do we need to go to law school and spend thousands of dollars to teach us how to analyze the rules of law and think like a lawyer? No we don’t. What we need is to bring back the way our founders father did when they studied law.
I know that law can be complex but if you know the rules, you’ll will do just fine. Understanding law at first, it might a scary thing at first– but if Abraham Lincol did it– so can we. Law school is nothing but a waste of money that about the time you graduate you will indebted to all those loans you have attained to fund your education. They come up with this great sayings that law school is a great investment and blah, blah, blah… Yeah, is a great investment for them. Because you are the one making them rich. You are one that’s going to be stuck paying for all those loans for the rest of your life. I know a friend of my friend that he was telling him that he wishes he hadnt go to law shool because now he is stuck with this $100,000 plus interest loan that he is going to have to pay for the term of 30 years. And that about the time he starts seeing his profit he will be 45 years old. And let me tell you, right after law school do you think you are goin to make the big bucks?!!? think again my friend. You might be lucky if you get hire at a reasonable salary. My point is that all states should create a statute mandating these agencies stating that– All persons are created equal and that if its citizens of said jurisdiction is there in the persue of study of law and desires to become a lawyer, advocate or officer of the court,can do so without limitations and that it is his right as a citizen to take such examination without being discriminated by any means or his intellectual ability to perform such examination thus making him/she intitled to such test or examination therein.
Thanks for reading.
Jason.
April 11th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Jason, I totally share your views. Its scandalous how the ABA continues to insist on one rigid framework for what qualifies as a law degree. It ain’t all that difficult. If you can pass the same exams, no matter what system you followed to get you there, what is the problem???
Many other degrees are now acceptable via the online route. The subject matter of law though dense is not so difficult.
The pressure must continue to mount so that this alternative for learning becomes accepted if only for the simple fact that it suits the schedules of many intelligent people who would not be able to study law otherwise.
ABA needs to get with it, stop protecting private interest and change policy.
Regards,
Tareq
May 15th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Online Law degree should catch on. Online degrees are a savings in gas, time and energy. Brilliant concept which will definitely be the future of higher education. As for the TJSL online degree at a price of $100k. Yes, immediate debt but if you look online at the average salary of a tax attorney you’ll find plus bonuses its comes in at about $150 - 250k/per yr.
Scott~
June 7th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
According to the ABA official website there are NO ABA approved online law schools.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
why not create a competing association?
September 8th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
I am about to change the criteria. ABA your History.
September 17th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I would like to commence studying as early as possible.
Thank you very kindly.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
1. According to the ABA there are no ABA accredited online law schools.
2. In order to sit the bar in many states you need to go to an ABA accredited school. There are exceptions. Massachusetts allows grads of Mass Law Andover to sit the bar but they are not ABA accredited.
3. In many states a LLM is not sufficient to sit for the bar exam. You need a JD or higher credential or you need to pass the bar in a state with lower requirements and practice for a number of years for reciprocity to kick in, then take the bar.
As of right now the only U.S. state that allows online grads to sit the bar immediately after graduation is California, and you must have a JD from those schools. If you want to practice in CA for a few years you may be able to get reciprocity from other states.
Nothing trumps the knowledge you’ll get by checking with your state board of regents and your state bar association before committing to any law school, online or brick and mortar.
Best.