I was reading a Fast Company article, Universities Inc. by Anya Kamenetz, and wondered when is the online law school coming?Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE and the man with the golden touch, will be acquiring--for a mere $2M-- a 12% piece of the Chancellor University System LLC, a part of the nearly bankrupt business college Myers University, in Cleveland, Ohio. His ambition? To create a reputable online MBA program.
I have always wondered why education needs to be maintained in bricks and mortar business model. My other sister, a teacher,and I were just talking about this very issue just last night.
Well, you know where I am going with this. Why not law schools?
I mean, think about it. The only "benefit" I got from being in a classroom environment ensconced in the ivy walls of my esteemed alma mater was being terrified of being called upon for recitation. And if the school implemented do 3D streaming, it could still happen anyway.
Tell me if I am wrong, but the only benefit I see are the additional "amenities": glee club, football, fraternities. Oh, wait. This is "law school".
It could be a matter of prestige and reputation. But if some big cheese like Jack Welch were to legitimize it, it could spring up a whole new kind of law students.
Like we need more lawyers, huh?
5 comments:
Lisa,
The problem will be ABA accreditation. I don't envision that the ABA will give accreditation to an online school in the near future.
There actually is an online ("distant learning" is the PC term) Law School. Concord Law School is essentially an online law school in California and is unaccrediated by the ABA, so you could only practice in California.
However, there might be a use for these types of schools for people that are in a certain industry that required a JD for advancement, but not necessarily needing to be a member of the state bar. For example, many academic law libraries require a JD & Masters in Library Science (MLS) to hold a Director position. So, someone that is well qualified through experience within a library like that (but, without a JD) could get an online degree from Concord and be able to use that to qualify for advancement. There is some limited use for online, non-accredited law schools.
I am attending an MLIS program on-line. Online has advantages and disadvantages, what I think is more-likely is that a hybrid coursework model will evolve. The problem with just an online program is that you loose the people element of networking and mentoring and Second life just will never make up for that face to face contact. Law schools cannot afford do lose these types of connections because that is also what brings in alumni donations. However, the online model might make more sense for LLM programs.
Anonymous makes good points about advantages and disadvantages of online learning in its current incarnation. I would just add that the classroom discussions in my law school classes were quite lively. This give and take added much to broadening my understanding of the application of legal principles, such as the parameters of "reasonable," as in "the reasonable person." Such discussion is not quite the same without some in-your-face spontaneity, and it works best if you have a really diverse student body.
Ok, correct me if I'm wrong. We have people attending online schools to become CPA's, Nurses, Economists... So whats the difference for Law Schools, "the Socratic Method". Not really. An online program is just as comprehensive as a brick and motar due to one word "focus. If every state required 1st yr law students to take a state baby bar exam as California does, 60% of people in law school would fail. Now, I would make the playing field fair by requiring all schools to only accept candidates that have taken the LSAT. Then let the chips fall as they may like california. But, unfortunately, Law School is also a business. Many of these brick and motar schools would loose funding and the ora of being a top tier school goes away. Why, people would lock to attend online law programs. What would be the difference between an Attorney who graduates from something like Concord or ALU as oppose to Princeton Online. Nothing, both had to have passed the bar exam. So don't get fooled. People who graduate from an online school and pass the bar are just as qualified as one who goes to a brick and motar and passes the bar.
Concord Law School is owned by Kaplan University/The Washington Post, they have loads of money to staff the school with top-notch profs and faculty. Also about 70% of all the highly selected students who are admitted into the Juris Doctor program already possess graduate degrees (yes.. I said graduate degrees not just a Bachelor's) with established careers too. So the caliber of the LIVE classroom discussions is a billion times superior than the ones held in a brick-and-mortar model.
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