by Vicki Salemi

Mitch Watley always had two dreams: to fly airplanes and practice law. Eventually, with online education, he was able to realize them both.

After graduating from Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colo.) as a petroleum engineer and following in his father’s footsteps in a major gas and oil company, Mitch decided to pursue his first dream: flying.

As a pilot for the Air National Guard in the early 1980s, Mitch learned to fly F15 Eagle jet aircraft, which jet-setted his career with American Airlines, where he’s been employed for the past 21 years. Since pilots are limited in the number of days they can work each month (about 12-16), Mitch spent a good deal of time at home.

In light of the tragic events of 9/11, uncertainty about the future of the airline industry, and a fast-approaching retirement, Mitch decided it was time to fulfill his second lifelong dream: to enroll in law school.

“My desire to become a lawyer was brewing longer than my desire to be an engineer,” he explains. Even as a junior high school student, Mitch was fascinated by the Constitution. “I really enjoyed social studies, and I have a tremendous admiration for our forefathers during the Revolutionary War.”

To lay the foundation for his new career, Mitch enrolled in a juris doctoral (J.D.) program at a law school near his home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

But between the three-hour round-trip commute four nights a week and the disappointment with his professors and classes, he says, “I wasn’t getting a big bang for my buck. I decided to take a little risk with the Texas Bar issue and give Concord a try.”

Risky business
The issue Mitch is referring to, according to Barry Currier, president and dean of Concord Law School, an online institution, is that neither the American Bar Association (ABA) nor the California Bar accredit online J.D. programs.

However, students at institutions that have not been accredited by the ABA may pursue the California Bar by first passing the California Baby Bar, a one-day exam administered after the first year of law school. Upon graduation, students are eligible to sit for the California Bar and gain admission to practice in California.

At that point, graduates may be able to use their Concord J.D. and admission to practice in California to gain the opportunity to sit for the bar and be admitted to practice other states. That’s not a given, though.

“These matters are under the control of each state, and we want to make sure students have a realistic sense of their opportunities and options before they enroll at Concord,” counsels Currier.

The online difference
Though Mitch was aware of the stringent bar requirements, he quickly became engrossed in his online classes.

“The quality of my education was so much better than at the other school,” says the Texas resident. Plus, he no longer had to endure a long commute. “Since I had my laptop on the road, I could attend class anywhere in the world.”

Impressed by the quality of each other’s contributions to the program, Mitch and his classmates quickly developed a strong bond. “At a regular law school, there are typically 75 people in a classroom,” he explains. “Professors enforce the Socratic method — whenever you speak, you stand up and give your name — but you don’t really know each other. It’s different online because you don’t physically see classmates.”

The bar: lessons in discipline
After attending Concord for four years, in which he “studied every waking moment,” Mitch passed the California Bar last winter on his first try. “It was the most intense three-day exam of my life,” he attests.

Whether students sit for the bar following an online program or a brick-and-mortar one, the exam always presents a challenge.

“You need to study for three consecutive months,” claims Mychal Wilson, a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law (Los Angeles, Cali.) and a partner in MindFusion Law Corporation, a full-service representation entertainment law firm. “Your family and friends will be there in the end, but you have to concentrate on passing.”

As for advice to future attorneys, Mychal offers, “Law school is supposed to prepare you to pass the bar. There are three steps to a law career — going to law school, passing the bar, and practicing law.”

Mitch is well on his way to the third step. Currently enrolled in additional patent law classes at Concord, he intends to practice in federal court in Texas with his California license, representing clients of the patent process, including trademarks.

Above all, Mitch says, “At Concord you have everything you need to get an excellent legal education. The only thing left for the student is to take advantage of it.”

© 2006 Classes USA, Inc. All rights reserved.

Family may come first for Laura Collins, but it certainly didn’t hinder her aspiration to become a lawyer.

The mother of two knew she had to find a way to balance law school while maintaining a connection to her family. She never thought that would mean sitting in her backyard logged onto her laptop “listening” in on a lecture given by one of the nation’s top intellectual lawyers. Nor that she would receive personal attention from her law professors to such an extreme that she once received a 45-page e-mail on Constitutional law, a subject in which she was floundering.

It was at Concord School of Law, the nation’s only wholly online law school, that Laura found her family-friendly alternative. After spending two years at a local law school as an evening student, she transferred to Concord and eventually became a member of the school’s first graduating class.

“By being in class at night, I was missing a lot,” she explains. Laura had recently retired from running a motion picture production and distribution company; she wanted a new and exciting career, but not at the expense of missing her children.

Concord is a dream come true for many professionals just like her, says Laura ¬- those who wish to pursue a law degree or related studies, but are restricted by the time and location obstacles of attending a brick-and-mortar institution. The curriculum at Concord, which provides programs leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree or an Executive JDSM, gave Laura an opportunity to learn and live out her lawyer aspirations without losing touch with her family.

“At Concord, I attended my lectures and did most of my studying during the day when the kids were in school,” she explains. “By the time they got home, I was available.”

Now, Laura devotes her career to helping maintain family stability, specifically in the most unstable of times, though divorce. Awkward sentence? Upon graduation, she passed the California Bar Exam and opened a family mediation practice in Santa Barbara, Calif., where she is practicing attorney accompanied by her psychotherapist husband, Russell Collins.

In fact, it was an instructor who ignited Laura’s interest in the area of mediation and law. “One of my professors had worked on divorce mediation with his wife who is a psychotherapist, and had said it was his most fulfilling and satisfying years,” she says. The same professor encouraged Laura to work on a research paper about the benefits of lawyer-therapist-comediation in divorce.

“I read all the literature and my husband and I came up with the idea: With a lawyer/therapist team, we could take care of kids. Instead of destroying their children, parents [involved in a divorce] could actually help their kids end up better. They don’t have to damage them.

“The idea that lawyers can actually help people resolve conflict is a good thing. You don’t always have to battle it out in court.”

Of the many lessons she has learned, her unique online learning experience helped solidify the importance of breaking down stereotypes. She has no hesitation to tell her colleagues she found her alma mater as a result of a Google search, and says she’s actually envied when they hear about her online education experience, specifically about the high level of interaction.

When she tells fellow lawyers about the time a professor rewrote her entire essay, “to illustrate [the way] I should have done it. step by step,” or the lecture she received online from Arthur Miller, the nation’s leading intellectual property lawyer, she gets stunned responses. “I’ve had plenty of lawyers say to me, ‘That sounds incredible.’

“Having been at a traditional law school, I can tell you that you don’t have much interaction with your professors,” Laura explains. “Certainly, when you get an essay back, you get a letter grade, maybe a couple of comments. But at Concord, the comments I would get on my exams were sometimes longer than the essays. The exams themselves were a learning experience,” she affirms.

Laura believes that everything — from the delivery method of lessons, to the facilitation of tests — is integral to the school’s success. And, additional resources abound, she says. Concord boasts national clinical internship opportunities, and a Trial Advocacy Program in conjunction with William Mitchell College of Law, available online or on-campus.

All such educational innovation and a dedicated approach to delivering instruction that is both theoretical and practical, is what makes the school’s unique online format work, says Laura, and will also continue its growth.

“Concord has an incredible program,” she explains. She stands proud not only of her and her husband’s practice, but also of the education she received from a school that helped uphold her belief in family.

by Gina LaGuardia
Concord Facts:

• Juris Doctor students at Concord must study for at least four years under the eligibility rules promulgated by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. It is a part-time program, and students generally devote an average of 20 hours per week to the curriculum.
• Concord’s Executive JD program is designed for students who have an interest in law or for whom a legal education would be useful in their career goals, but who do not intend to practice law. Students are not regulated by the State Bar and therefore may complete the 72-unit program at their own pace generally within three years and not to exceed six years.
• A specialized Health Law Track within the Executive JD program allows nurses, paramedics, and other health care practitioners to advance their career paths.

Other Unique Degrees You Can Earn Online

• Doctor of Philosophy in Organization and Management
• Bachelor of Science in Game Software Development
• Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communications
• Associate of Arts in Acquisition and Contract Management
• Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
• Master of Science in Emergency & Disaster Management
• Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management - Casino Management

© 2006 Classes USA, Inc. All rights reserved.