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#Are There Any Rankings for Online Law Schools? Top Law Schools

Rankings of Online Law Schools

The Internet has revolutionized many aspects of our society and there are now several online law schools offering degrees out there. However, law is inherently a conservative arena, for in law present decisions are determined by examining past decisions that set a precedent. Along these lines, online law schools are still stigmatized and are not yet ranked by any law school ranking.

Personally, I like the idea of online law schools and am open to the concept. However, the reality of online law schools is that at present their graduates fare poorly in the job market as online law schools are not yet considered the equal of even marginal brick and mortar law schools.

Until online law schools become more prestigious, I would focus upon the traditional ABA approved law schools. That being said, if you are in California, which does not require that you attend an ABA approved law school to take the state bar, then attending an online law school is a more viable option.

Of course, if you are accepted into any ABA law school, go there first in a heartbeat, but if you are in California and deciding between an online law school and law schools that are not ABA approved, to me that is a tough decision. I would focus upon the bar passage rates of the schools you are considering, for if graduates are not passing the bar there is no way they are getting jobs as attorneys.

The stigma of online law schools will likely continue until one of them has enough money to start hiring faculty from the top law schools. Concord Law School, which is run by Kaplan, is the best known online law school and is the one most likely to move into an acceptable class at some point.

Until online law schools get more accepted, I recommend attending an ABA approved law school even if it means paying a lot more in tuition. This extra cost will be rewarded with more job prospects and not having to be the one who has to break the stigma still attached to online law schools.