Are all law schools the same? No. The American Bar Association (ABA) provides the premier law school accreditation and not all law schools make the grade—and some are not even trying to attain such a status. Some non-accredited law schools boast online options, flexible schedules, or affordability, but such attributes come with risks. No matter which law school you choose, you will be investing significant time, energy, and money. Before choosing a law school which may look attractive, be sure to do your due diligence and make an informed choice.
Check for ABA Approval
The first question to ask is whether the law school is ABA approved or not. To answer this question, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) provides a free law school research tool that can assist. Importantly, check the list of Non-ABA-Approved Law Schools LSAC provides. LSAC includes this word of warning at the top of the list:
Before you enroll in a law school not approved by the ABA, you should research the bar-admission limitations of obtaining a degree from the school and enroll only if it is clear that the school will provide adequate legal training.
One other distinction this list provides is whether a law school is even seeking ABA approval. This can indicate the possible future of the law school, but later ABA approval is not guaranteed. (For tips on picking a great law school, listen to Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 217 with law school admissions expert Dr. Shirag Shemmassian.)
Weigh the Risks
If you are considering a non-approved law school, you will need to weigh the real risks.
Quality of Education
ABA approval or accreditation is the standard for a reason. The approval process ensures a quality that is uncertain at schools without the ABA’s imprimatur. For a detailed look at the ABA Accreditation process, go to the ABA’s Law School Accreditation site for details. Experienced tutor Ariel Salzar addresses the struggle for unaccredited law school students in her post Should You Quit Law School?. While she acknowledges she has seen some students from unaccredited law schools pass the bar and find success, she emphasizes that when attending such an institution, “The road to success may be a tougher one.” She contrasts the high-quality professors and rigorous academic culture of ABA approved schools with the low retention rates and significant unknowns of unaccredited schools.
Bar Exam Prerequisites
All jurisdictions have different requirements to sit for the bar exam. The ABA explains in its 2022-2023 Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools preface:
In most jurisdictions, an ABA-approved law school J.D. degree is a necessary credential to qualify to sit for the bar examination. Whether a jurisdiction requires education at an ABA-approved law school is a decision made by a jurisdiction’s highest court and its bar admission authority and not by the Council or the ABA. The Council and the ABA believe, however, that every candidate for admission to the bar should have graduated from a law school approved by the ABA…
Some jurisdictions have more restrictive prerequisites than others. Some have more flexible, but more complex, systems for providing access to non-ABA approved law school graduates. For example, California identifies multiple categories of law schools including ABA approved, California State Bar accredited, unaccredited correspondence law school, unaccredited distance-learning law school, unaccredited fixed-facility law school and with varying requirements for the different tiers. For a comprehensive look at seating requirements across all US jurisdictions, see the National Conference of Bar Examiners CHART 3 addressing domestic legal education requirements.
Bar Exam Outcomes
If you are eligible to sit for the bar exam coming from an unaccredited law school, the next consideration is bar passage. Passing the bar coming from a non-ABA law school can be a struggle. To make a data informed decision, you can drill down to the pass percentage of particular forms of non-ABA-Approved Law Schools by jurisdiction in the 2021 Exam Takers and Passers from Non-ABA-Approved Law Schools by Type of School statistics presented by The Bar Examiner, a publication of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. To provide one example from this source, in 2021, Non-ABA-Approved Law Schools in California accounted for 1,323 exam takers with only 316 passing for a pass rate of 24 percent.
Career Opportunities
Another consideration is career opportunities post-bar exam. In the legal community, law school alumni networks and law school reputations can be huge assets when looking for an employer. If considering an unaccredited law school, investigate their career services offerings and their post-graduation employment statistics. Other factors aside, will a degree from the law school you select help you achieve your long term career goals?
While there are always trailblazers that can overcome any challenge, choosing an unaccredited law school is not a decision to be made without serious deliberation. Review the resources above, do your research, and choose the right school to best provide for an impactful law school experience and a successful legal career.
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All of your points are valid and the genuineness of your underlying message is clear. You might also dig a little deeper into the fact that not all non-ABA-accredited schools are the same. I’m about to complete my JD at Concord Law School, and I have been continuously amazed by the caliber of the faculty. I have had professors that I consider true friends and will remain connected to for the rest of my life. I appreciate your work.
Truly,
Brendan Walsh
We’re glad you’re enjoying your experience, but the post addresses the real risks of these schools. It’s definitely important for students to research all schools themselves and figure out what’s best for them. We definitely agree on that.