Two strong advantages of earning an online law degree over a traditional one are cost and convenience. Otherwise, many people with work and/or family commitments or who can't afford to attend a traditional school wouldn't be likely to earn a law degree. Credible, properly accredited online law schools have quality curricula and virtual law library access. Another advantage of online law degree programs is that in parts of the world that accept them, it's possible for students to earn a full Juris Doctor (JD) degree required to practice as an attorney.
After earning the JD degree, if the online student passes the bar exam, he or she is usually then permitted to legally practice law as an attorney, although this depends on the geographical location. As other professional online degrees have become more acceptable to businesses, an increasing number of law firms in more areas are recognizing them as well. As long as the distance learning student understands before registering for an online law program what the exact career prospects are, as well as any limitations of the Internet degree, it can lead to achieving his or her desired goal.
Most online law degree programs allow students to learn at their own pace. Typically, there are set dates for exams, but usually the student will be made aware of them far in advance so he or she can be well prepared. For motivated students focused on learning law, online classes save time, as they can study on an accelerated schedule and keep ahead of expected outcomes. For instance, the time saved traveling to and from a bricks and mortar school can be used for going over each statement in law texts and reading it as a question to be answered for self-study. While traditional students can also use such study techniques, the extra time a virtual student typically has can make a marked difference in grades.
Not only do many students earning a law degree online have time to hold down a job to earn a living to pay for their living expenses, they also usually save a great amount of tuition money. By choosing Internet-based rather than traditional in-person schools, learners can often enjoy a substantial decrease in the price of a law school education; online options have much less overhead and tend to pass the savings on to students. An online law degree allows a student to create a reasonable schedule to both work to earn a living and study for a future career.