The importance of being educated in one of the ABA accredited law schools

By Cynthia Taylor

The American Bar association regulates law education in all states with the exception of California. What this means is that if you do not get your law degree at one of the ABA accredited law schools then your only option is to be practice law in California. California however has its own set of rules and regulations. Since you will not be able to sit for an ABA bar exam, you are still required to sit to pass the California bar exam.

The California bar exam will allow you to practice in this state alone, and after a period of seven years, some of the other states will accept a lawyer and allow him or her to write a bar exam for their state, which allow a lawyer to practice law in more states.

The same applies for online law schools. Distance learning is suited to so many people who would prefer to study part time in their own time while trying to maintain other jobs and families. Once again you will be able to practice only in California, and then be able to move onto a limited number of other states at a later stage.

Should you have received your education at a non ABA accredited law school simply because the costs of tuition were within your financial means you do have two other options.

The first option is to get really good grades in your first year at the non accredited school and apply at an accredited law school for the remaining years. The good grades will qualify you for a subsidy.

The second option is if you are unable to complete your education at one of the ABA accredited law schools is to do the maintenance course, the Master of law program. This is ABA accreditation and gives a practicing lawyer international status.