The Council of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has proposed changes to accreditation standards that will permit fully online law schools, as reported in this publication. We support ABA approval as a means to broadening opportunities for a more diverse and inclusive profession.

Our neighbor to the north, Franklin Pierce School of Law in New Hampshire, has a mostly online degree program. The flexibility it permits for those who cannot attend full-time in person opens the door for those who otherwise could never become a lawyer. As one student, James Rego, with military active-duty requirements, explains: “The flexible Hybrid JD program is the ONLY program that makes it possible for me to fulfill my Active-Duty obligations and pursue a JD from an ABA-accredited school. Because of the demands of military life, not even a part-time JD program would allow me the flexibility to continue law school from anywhere in the world. UNH Franklin Pierce’s program offers a combination of asynchronous classes, synchronous evening classes, and minimal in-person requirements that accommodate even my busiest work schedule.”