How to Find an Accredited Online Law Degree Program That is Worth the Money

In finding an accredited online law degree program that is worth the money for you, the primary consideration you should make is whether you want to officially be allowed to practice law or are simply interested in acquiring legal knowledge. If your goal is to be legally able to practice law in a given state, then you must consider whether you would be willing to relocate to California for a period of time. In order to practice law in any state, it is necessary to take the given state's bar examination, pass a character and fitness evaluation, and pass an examination over legal ethics. Currently, California is the only state that allows individuals who have not attended accredited law schools to sit for the state bar exam, and there are no online law degree programs that are accredited by the American Bar Association ("ABA") for these purposes. Thus, in order to practice law after completion of an online law degree program, one must be located in California to take the bar examination. After having practiced law in California for several years, it would then be possible to take the bar in another state, so the relocation need not be permanent. Although no online schools are accredited by the ABA, the State Bar Examiners in California has a smaller Committee of Bar Examiners who evaluate the online schools. Online law students will be permitted to sit for the bar in California if they have completed and received at least eight hundred sixty four hours of preparation each year from an online school that is registered with the Committee. However, it is important to note that in registering these schools, the Committee is not attesting to the quality of the schools. Thus, in evaluating the schools for their worth, it would be valuable to look at whether the school teaches subjects that will be tested on the California Bar, including the most commonly tested subjects of Constitutional Law, Contracts, Property, Torts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Wills, and Business Associations. In addition, a major component of legal work involves writing, the style of which differs from standard writing. Thus, in evaluating a program, it is essential that the online program give frequent tutorials, assignments, and, most importantly, feedback, involving the process of legal research and legal writing. This will ensure that your degree is really worth the money you pay for it.