Purchasing Resources for Legal Distance Learning

Legal Distance Learning

What to know when choosing a distance education for an online law course
By Maria L. MacMeekin Online legal training is one of the latest frontiers in online learning. New online law schools are popping up, causing many students to be turned away from sitting for the bar exam in their states. There are rules, varying by state, on who can and can't sit for a bar exam, so it is important to know the rules before you have invested money in your distance education in law.

The other type of online legal training that has saturated the Internet is continuing legal education (CLE) courses. These online law classes are meant to serve the legal professionals, both lawyers and paraprofessionals. The state bar associations have placed fewer restrictions on online law continuing education courses and have therefore allowed many new companies to enter the online law training arena.

When considering any online legal training, you should:

1. Watch for accreditation and approval of online legal education courses.

2. Get specific laws for your state regarding the online legal coursework you select.

3. Find general CLE courses online that are allowable by your state bar.

Choose an online law continuing education degree from an accredited school

The American Bar Association (ABA) "approves" law school programs. A law school must be in operation for at least a year before the provisional approval is allowed. The law school then has three years to complete all the steps to become fully approved by the ABA. Most state bar associations will not allow a person to sit for the bar exam without a degree from an ABA approved law school.
Try:  Check the LSAC website to see if your state allows students from non-ABA approved schools or an online law school program to sit for the bar exam. Check the National Conference of Bar Examiners online for a list of Bar Admission Offices that includes website links for each state so you can learn what accreditation or approvals are necessary to sit for the bar in your state. Check to see if your law school is ABA approved at this site as well. Choose law school programs with adequate accreditation and approval to sit for the bar exam in the state where you intend to practice law.

Find legal distance learning courses specific to your state

Each state has its own bar association. The bar is tasked with monitoring the legal profession in each state. The legal profession is self policed, and the state bar of each state enables lawyers to stay abreast on legal and ethical matters. One arm of each state bar is education. Each state bar requires an attorney to accumulate a certain amount of legal education credits after his first year practicing law. These credits can be done in any legal field, but must meet a certain criteria to be approved for online legal courses.
Try:  Choose a CLE program that is sponsored through the state bar association of your state. Look up the CLE rules from your state at the CLE Club's State CLE Requirements page. Many states require that the course meet minimum criteria, such as being more than a marketing meeting or a bar association meeting. Find state bar associations through FindLaw.

Select general legal courses offered through CLE organizations

Another way to get the online law training you need is to attend online legal classes through other organizations. Most organizations offering CLE courses do not require you to be an admitted bar member. The prices for online law classes can even lower if you are not admitted. These organizations are in business to educate, not determine who is allowed to be educated.
Try:  Search the online catalog of CLE courses available through Cognistar by jurisdiction, practice area and credit type. Choose a streaming video or other options from CLEonline.com. Sign up for online law courses and determine if you like the way the organization presented the material. If the online law class doesn't work for you, consider a combination of webinar and seminar options.

• The ABA currently has no 100% approved online law school programs. Be cautious when the schools claim otherwise, since distance learning for law school is currently against the ABA's policy.

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