lawyer

Concord is registered with the Committee of Bar Examiners of the California State Bar as an unaccredited law school. Because of the law school 's status as an unaccredited distance learning law school by the State Bar, [ 4 ] Concord students must take and pass California's First-year Law Students' Examination (FYLSE), colloquially called the "Baby Bar," after their first year of law study. Students may progress to advanced law courses and eventually sit for California's State Bar Examination once they have passed the Baby Bar. [ 5 ] [ 4 ] Concord Law School has not sought approval by the American Bar Association. [ 6 ]

The merger of Concord into Kaplan University in late 2007 made Concord the first online law school to be part of a regionally accredited university. [ 5 ] [ 8 ] As the first-ever Internet law school, the concept of Concord initially drew criticism from the legal establishment including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. [ 9 ]

Concord offers two Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degrees. The recipients of the regular J.D. degree who pass the California Bar Examination and otherwise meet the California State Bar requirements are admitted to the bar and can practice law in California. Recipients of the Executive Juris Doctor (E.J.D.) are not eligible to take the bar examination without an additional qualifying law degree (L.L.M.). Concord also offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Small Business Practice.

The J.D. program is a 92-unit, four-year program. Students are required to successfully complete at least 22-24 units of coursework between 48 to 52 consecutive weeks each year. Graduates of this program will have met the legal education requirement of the Committee of Bar Examiners, State Bar of California and may apply for admission to the State Bar of California. [ 10 ]

The Executive J.D. degree requires a 72-unit, three-year program. It is designed for executives, administrators and professionals in various fields who seek graduate-level training in law but who do not wish to practice.

The Small Business Practice LL.M. is a 24-unit, 2 year program offered part-time. It is designed for practicing attorneys and recent law school graduates who are seeking practical knowledge about the legal issues unique to small businesses. [ 11 ]

For the years 2003 through July , 757 Concord graduates have taken the California Bar Examination as first-time takers; of that number, 273 passed the examination for a bar pass rate of 36%. [ 12 ]

Gregory Brandes is the current interim dean of Concord Law School. [ 13 ] [not in citation given ]

In November , Ross Mitchell, a 2004 Concord graduate sued for and won the right to take the Massachusetts bar exam which is normally open only to Massachusetts or ABA accredited law schools. In a 6-1 decision, the state's Supreme Judicial Court ruled for Ross, citing his excellent law school record and the ability to represent himself and properly present his case. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] Mitchell subsequently passed the Massachusetts bar exam in February . [ 16 ]