California Gives Full Accreditation To Online Law Schools
California has given full accreditation to three online law schools. One of the law schools, Concord Law School at Purdue University Global, called it a ‘watershed moment’ in legal education. The three online law schools accredited in 2020 include the Concord Law School at Purdue University Global, Northwestern California University School of Law, and St. Francis Law School. The State Bar of California is one of the few states in the U.S. that accredits law schools.
The Committee of Bar Examiners decided that because Concord is in full compliance with the guidelines governing accredited law schools, it was not required to have a period of provisional accreditation, as typically is the case for law schools seeking full accreditation. Being fully accredited provides schools with additional credibility and recognition while acknowledging that the school can meet all educational objectives.
Concord Law School was founded in 1998 as the first online law school. Kaplan University acquired it in 2007 and Purdue University, a public university in Indiana, acquired Kaplan University in April 2018 and renamed it Purdue University Global. However, for the past 22 years, students have been required to pass California’s First-Year Law Students’ Exam, also known as the baby bar, to continue their studies.
Northwestern California University School of Law was founded in 1982 and has 500 students. It is based in Sacramento and has offered an external program since its founding. St. Francis Law School is a nonprofit law school that was founded in 2017, with the goal of being a higher-end online school. With corporate offices in Newport Beach, Calif., it reports a bar passage rate of 60%.
As the State Bar of California has granted full accreditation to three online law schools, two other online schools, the California School of Law and the California Desert Trial Academy have completed applications for state accreditation, while several schools with state accreditation have added flex programs that may be completed online, according to the State Bar of California. Like the CDTA, Concord’s mission since its inception over 20 years ago was to make high-quality legal education affordable and accessible by delivering it fully online.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted legal education in an unprecedented manner, many law schools are trying to adapt as they strive to continue offering a rewarding, educational experience. While many traditional law schools are scrambling to implement online classes, services, and the like, the California Desert Trial Academy College of Law (CDTA) has implemented and utilized a state-of-the-art online learning platform since it first opened its doors in 2012.
The CDTA has made distance learning a complete aspect of its curriculum, thus improving the ability of working Californians to attend law school. The CDTA provides a state-of-the-art online learning platform that takes full advantage of the benefits provided by distance learning. Accreditation of a school that offers the convenience of online and distance learning gives those interested in law school an affordable program to access legal education. It allows students who are otherwise highly qualified but who cannot move their families or change their employment status to attend law school.
Some schools in 2021 are planning to go completely online, including Harvard Law School; the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law; the University of California, Irvine School of Law; and Vermont Law School.
The California Desert Trial Academy focuses on providing an academic experience that emphasizes a practical approach to becoming a lawyer. We believe this is the most efficient and expedient pathway to a successful and rewarding legal career. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.