a JD for JSD: another Northwestern California University School of Law journey thread

[jsd]

Since you already have a bachelors, you don't have to take the baby bar. I'm also in the program but haven't made as much progress as I'd have liked. In either case, we can always lean on each other in the times ahead.

Yes, the State Bar accreditation waiving the Baby Bar is one of the reasons my position has started softening on these schools.

Are you 1L? When did your term start? I'm a few days out from my start, but I can definitely see us discussing this more

Are you on the student Slack?

I'm interested in following this journey. I always thought it'd be fun to go into law, especially Water Law as that is a huge portion of California law.

I like Tree Law. Tree Law is fun, IMO, but rarely talked about outside of certain circles. I'm not sure I'd have as much fun reading the actual legal codes that Tree Law is based on, however.

Bird law.

[freeloader]

Good to see you again. Jack Kelly. These are definitely not fake hands.

[Sparklette]

Congrats jsd on getting in!  I actually looked at them too because of their pricing and knowing that some students are fellow members kind of gave me a little peace of mind...  Even though it's going to be out of pocket for most students (including me - if I decide on them soon), I think the price is right, there is ROI/Value in learning at any price.

In regards to the 5 CLEPs and entry requirements, exactly what jsd mentioned... In addition, I wouldn't shoot for the minimum requirements, I would make sure to get a Bachelors first and within the free electives of the Bachelors, take some courses related to law to see if it fits your learning style and to get a feel if you like the subject or not.

I agree the CLEP route is probably a bad idea for most people, but could be a godsend for certain specific circumstances. Like someone relocating to California that previously worked as a paralegal, but doesn't qualify under CA requirements. I could totally see it being attractive to go (almost) directly to law school instead of completing 24 credits just to get the same level of employment previously held. Not that that includes a whole lot of people, but I'm mostly just surprised it's an option at all.

[lisarox]

I'm interested in following this journey. I always thought it'd be fun to go into law, especially Water Law as that is a huge portion of California law.

I like Tree Law. Tree Law is fun, IMO, but rarely talked about outside of certain circles. I'm not sure I'd have as much fun reading the actual legal codes that Tree Law is based on, however.

r/treelaw

[jsd]

Just over a month in, and I'm really enjoying the school and the program setup. It is definitely a big commitment and sometimes I'm scratching my head wondering why I got myself into this for 4 years, but so far no true regret.

General impressions and quick thoughts so far:

-Information and classes are interesting, enjoying what I'm learning

-I'm thinking I'll never remember any of it, haha... I need to switch up my studying habits a bit if I ever want to make it through exams (let alone the bar in 4 years)

-School learning management system is pretty cool, and content outside of the the casebooks is setup well. Optional live classes, tons of recordings of past live classes with various professors so you can pick the one that fits your style (or mix and match), access to a lot of third-party resources and tools.

-I like the self-paced model, but I'm mostly sticking to the suggested study path and pace. There's is a ton of reading (not surprising) and a lot of small things to keep up with, and speeding ahead wouldn't help much anyway. If I finished everything in 6 months, I still would have to wait until the last month to take my finals, and I wouldn't be able to start my 2L term until next year when I "should" have finished 1L anyway. Plus, going that long without doing anything certainly wouldn't help with retention. I think it's definitely possible to complete the core work quicker (particularly if you're a speed reader -- I am not), but as stated, the requirement of the final exams being done in month 12 kind of makes this pointless.

-There are some Pass/Fail assignments that need to be completed during the year, but as far as your overall course grade, it's based 100% off of exam essays (a third based on your midterm, and the rest on your final). These are bar-style essay questions. I am not looking forward to this.

-All other work is pass/fail and is required to pass before exams are unlocked for you (case briefs, definitions assignments, mini-thesis).

[svoboda]

I was enrolled at NWCU SOL in March 2022, and had to withdraw in August of 2022 because of personal reasons. I recently applied and was accepted to re enroll in the program. It's a solid program, and I learned a great deal in just 5 months. However, I am concerned about the fact that it is only a CA Bar accredited program. Let's say I get the JD but can not pass the bar. Is my degree useless? I already have a Masters of Jurisprudence from an ABA accredited program and it was not worth the 30K+ in tuition. The program at NWCU SOL is very affordable, but I still don't want to risk having just another degree.

I have another option, and it's an LLB from the University of London Worldwide. This is an accredited degree which may be more valuable, for perhaps teaching. I would then have an option to sit for the bar in CA with an LLM. The tuition at UOL is more affordable than NWCU SOL. If I had to do an LLM, the combined total cost would be the same had I attended NWCU SOL. The duration of study is about the same, 4 years with the LLM.

So I am looking for some guidance. My end goal is to be a licensed attorney, with fall back plan to teach in the legal field. Do I go for the LLB/LLM, or do I go or the JD at NWCU SOL.

Thank you for any feedback

[jsd]

I guess you could go the LLB route, but you'd need to supplement all of your learning to learn US and CA (or your state) bar exam topics. Look into what ever else your state bar might require to accept a foreign law degree. Seems like a lot of extra steps.

[svoboda]

I guess you could go the LLB route, but you'd need to supplement all of your learning to learn US and CA (or your state) bar exam topics. Look into what ever else your state bar might require to accept a foreign law degree. Seems like a lot of extra steps.

Thank you for your reply. Are you at all concerned about the lack of accreditation of NWCU from any other source other than CAL BAR.  I don't know why I am so bugged about it. My goal is to be able to take the bar exam, and NWCU is a great option to prepare me. I am just worried about not passing the bar and will the JD by itself may not be worth much more than what I already have, MJ.

[jsd]

What would you plan on doing with your JD if you didn't pass the bar? Teach? Most institutions would want you to be experienced as an attorney or at the very least be a member of the bar (and hence passed the bar exam) to teach law. In this case, I think you are correct that it wouldn't be much better than your MJ. But that would be the case even if you went to an ABA school but never passed the bar. Something else?

If I don't pass the bar, maybe I'll take it a few more times until I do

I'm not relying on this degree for much. I have an established career. If it doesn't work out and I can't pass the bar, or if I burn out and never finish a term, at least I learned some cool info along the way. And it's not too much money I've lost. Certainly compared to other failed law students

[jsd]

In to Month #3 now.

For month 2 I still kept on track with the recommended schedule, but this month I'm straying from it quite a bit, I don't think it's the best for my learning style. Right now I'm just working on knocking out all of the "busywork" and getting the PASS/FAIL assignments out of the way. I already submitted the Definitions assignments (about 400 terms to define and provide examples of), and now I'm working on getting all of the case briefs out of the way (50 or so I believe). Then I'll circle back around to the learning material and start supplementing it with some outside sources. The video lectures from multiple professors have been fantastic though. I'm watching overlapping lectures from different professors to pickup on different things they individually emphasize and to get soak some things up through repetition. There are definitely some professors I like more than others, but they're all pretty good.