Virtual Law Degrees

Technology has improved the education industry by leaps and bounds over the last decade. Technological improvements have allowed schools to reach more potential students than ever before. Not only are traditional brick and mortar schools offering online classes, but schools that exist entirely on the Internet are offering full and affordable degree programs to students all over the world. Many of these virtual colleges have passed the same stringent government recognized accreditation requirements as traditional colleges; they just don't have to deal with the overhead expenses of running a physical school.

While some degree programs offered by virtual colleges have become common and respected by their related industries, other fields of study have had trouble getting the recognition they deserve, but social acceptability is slowly improving. One of the most underestimated online degrees is the virtual law degree, also called a Juris Doctorate or JD, for short. Obtaining the Juris Doctorate is the first step to becoming a lawyer in the United States, followed by passing the bar exam in the state where the graduate wants to practice, which is where the process begins to get a little tricky.

Currently, the American Bar Association is the authority on law schools and legal education. Graduates of law schools not approved by the ABA (i.e., every correspondence law school currently in existence) are not allowed to sit for the bar exam in every state. As of now, the only state in the country allowing virtual law program graduates to sit for their bar exam is California. The California Bar will allow graduates of correspondence law schools to sit for the attorney licensing exam as long as the law school they graduate from meets certain requirements established by the state. Two of the biggest requirements required are 4 years time (no more, no less) and successful passing of the First Year Law Student's Examination.

The time requirement states that correspondence law school students must complete each year of education in no fewer than 48 weeks and no more than 52 weeks. Extensions can be granted in special circumstances but are very rare. The California Bar also requires that first year correspondence law school students sit for and pass the First Year Law Student's Examination (commonly referred to as the "Baby Bar") before being allowed to sit for the actual bar exam at the completion of their studies. Most correspondence schools will not allow a first year law student to continue with their studies until the Baby Bar has been passed.

Virtual law school is a great way to practice law in California, but what about those who don't live in California? Every state except California requires that a person have graduated from an ABA approved law school or have a certain number of years as an experienced lawyer before attempting to take their bar exam. Many states will allow virtual law school graduates from California to sit for their bar exam after a simple application process, but this is assuming that the person has earned a predetermined amount of experience as an actual lawyer performing legal duties.

This may sound like bad news, but not all hope is lost. If the bar is passed in California, and a license is issued by that state, then the lawyer can legally practice law in any federal court in the nation and any of its territories. If you want to practice in your home state, you may only be able to do so in federal court, but plenty of opportunities exist for new lawyers at the federal level. Federal courts include federal magistrate courts, immigration courts, courts which try inter-state crimes, military courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

As time goes on and more and more correspondence law school graduates prove themselves as competent lawyers in the court room, the social stereotypes attached to virtual law school students will soon diminish. Let us not forget that correspondence and self paced legal education was the norm before full time colleges became so popular. This was a system which encouraged accessibility to education and the profession of law for anyone determined and disciplined enough to learn the law without a formal teacher. The virtual law schools of today are the first step toward reclaiming the idea of an affordable law school education for all.