The Questions People Often Ask About Online Legal Education

The American legal system is designed to provide a venue for resolving complex questions. As someone exploring the online options for getting a first-rate legal education, you probably have plenty of questions of your own.

You don’t need to build a case or go to court to get the answers, though. We’ve been keeping track of some of the most common questions that people ask about online legal education programs, and we can fill you in on the answers right here.

Can I Become a Lawyer With an Online Degree?

It’s possible to earn a standard JD (Juris Doctor) degree and sit the bar exam to become a lawyer with a substantial portion of your credits earned online. However, current ABA (American Bar Association) rules permit only half of the JD credit hours to be gained through distance education. The remainder of your JD classes must be in a traditional format.

However, there are many online degree programs, both undergrad and graduate, that will help you prepare for a JD without any on-campus coursework – including many of the options right here on this list.

How Long Does It Take To Become a Lawyer With an Online Law Degree?

The standards for JD programs in the United States are fairly rigid: almost all require three years of full-time study.

However, that doesn’t take into account the full path that most people take to become lawyers. For starters, an undergraduate degree is required to enter law school, which will add another four years to the beginning of the process. It’s possible to trim a year off with an accelerated online bachelor’s degree program.

However, many individuals only approach law school after getting other significant professional experience. In many cases, that includes a stint working as a paralegal or other legal support professional. In those cases, an Associate of Science in Paralegal Studies can give you the right qualifications, and build credits to shorten your bachelor’s studies when you decide to advance your education.

Do You Have To Earn a Juris Doctor (JD) Degree To Become a Lawyer?

As with all good answers to legal questions, the answer to this one is, it depends.

Of course, a JD is the standard requirement in most states to take the bar exam. However, legal licensing is handled on a state-by-state basis. Currently, several states allow you to take and pass the bar without earning a JD degree. In some of these states, like Maine and New York, you may need at least some credits from an ABA-approved law school, even if it hasn’t resulted in the award of a JD. In others, like Washington or California, you may substitute an apprenticeship in a law office to meet qualifications.

In those cases, any of the advanced degrees listed here may be enough to allow you to become a lawyer without a JD, even if that’s not the most common path.

Are Online Legal Degrees as Good as Traditional on-Campus Degrees in Law?

Candidates with online degrees are welcomed by corporations, government agencies, and law firms today. With many of the same expert professors teaching on-campus classes at the same schools, and with next-level virtual classroom technology, the quality of education you get online is identical.

With the added flexibility, affordability, and selection that come with online legal degrees at all levels, they are a popular choice for students at every career stage.

Do You Have To Become a Paralegal Before You Can Become a Lawyer?

There is no requirement that you become a paralegal before earning your JD and becoming a lawyer in the United States. It’s not even the most common career path.

However, there are many advantages to first earning a Paralegal Certificate and working your way up through paralegal practice toward becoming a lawyer. It offers an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the profession while getting paid for the privilege, and seeing how law is practiced before taking on the full responsibility of representation.

Paralegals often have the opportunity to work with and learn from various lawyers, as well as gain exposure to different types of practices. This enables them to make more informed choices if they decide to pursue a career as a lawyer later.

Do Online Legal Programs Provide Enough Face-To-Face Interaction to Prepare for the Professional World?

Practicing law can certainly involve many skills that require strong interpersonal skills, like negotiation and advocacy. But much of the knowledge of the law and design of legal arguments and reasoning can be taught without a great deal of face-to-face interaction. That makes these online legal programs, even taught in an asynchronous or self-paced format, perfectly adequate for learning the concepts and skills you need.

It’s also true that many online classes are delivered live, allowing for plenty of opportunities for vigorous discussion with classmates and interactions with professors. These are every bit as effective as classroom teaching practices and produce students who are fully prepared to get out into the real world and work directly with clients and attorneys.

Other than a JD, What Degrees are Appropriate for Legal Professionals?

As you can see on this page, there are plenty of degrees in legal education that aren’t full JD degrees. While some of these options, particularly at the bachelor’s and associate’s levels, are intended to prepare students for a JD, others offer a different sort of training and specialization for legal professionals who aren’t lawyers. The field of law has become increasingly specialized, resulting in numerous roles that require a strong command of statutes, regulations, and jurisprudence, but do not involve the actual practice of law. These types of jobs can be filled by legal professionals who don’t hold a JD and are not required to pass the bar.

What Kind of Jobs Can You Get in the Legal Profession Without a JD?

You wouldn’t see this variety of non-JD legal degrees available unless there were jobs that demand the kind of training and preparation they deliver.

Paralegals are the most well-known of these other types of professionals. A Bachelor’s in Legal Support and Services or a Paralegal Associate Degree is designed specifically to prepare for these roles, which have their own hierarchy of expertise. For professionals with a degree outside the field of law, a Paralegal Certificate can provide sufficient preparation for roles in corporate legal departments and law firms.

Requiring even more advanced training are jobs in contract administration, compliance, or mediation. A Master of Legal Studies or a Juris Master program, often with specialized concentrations, can equip you with legal training to understand and interpret legal doctrine and rulings on par with lawyers. There are also legal concentrations available in related majors, like a Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies or a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with a Legal Studies focus. Many other kinds of corporate executives can benefit from these degrees, especially those working in complex litigious business environments.