Although institutions across all educational disciplines saw explosive online growth in 2020, law schools possibly saw the most revolutionary change. The American Bar Association (ABA) indefinitely parked its Standard 306 distance education rules during the pandemic, allowing law schools to exceed the cap of online credit hours allowed for an ABA-accredited JD degree.

Additionally, last year’s online growth spotlighted an issue that has long plagued legal education: a lack of diversity in student populations. Since most states only have three or fewer law schools, the greater availability of online program options could mean more students from all backgrounds and geographical locations may more easily access legal education.