Concord Law School

I am sharing my experience and OPINION. I WAS a first year law student that started April 1st, 2016. Oh the irony of that date. I am posting this to inform others of my disappointment with Concord as I learn about more and more of my fellow classmates being dismissed due to a C- grade, it seems this is the majority of my class (so far maybe 3-4 that actually moved on to take the FYLSE). I am not afraid to go public with my disappointment with Concord, this is outrageous that they would do this to a class and their students that they are supposed to be getting to the exam. Upon speaking with other schools, my grades would have been well above passing along with my classmates. What a way to protect your FYLSE pass rate, by eliminating those of us that you think wont pass that exam, that is what it looks like from here. That is unfair to it's core. Telling us that a C- is failing with the State Bar, when other schools say differently, a mere 2.0 gets them to the exam, even with lower grades, and they have notice to improve, not just dismissal and thank you for your 10k. Shame on you Concord. I am just glad I learned this before proceeding any further. The one instructor that teaches the subjects does not even practice in California and can not answer any of your questions, its a joke. AVOID.

CLS provides an excellent legal education. The path to success, however, is not easy. It takes dedication, many hours, and practice, practice, practice. If you are looking for a fast, short-cut way to learn the law, look elsewhere. You'll need to spend at least 75% of the time that students in a full time devote to learning. At the end of the journey, you'll know the law and see the world from a new, rewarding perspective.

Please read this if you are thinking about attending Concord Law. I have toyed with the idea of going to law school for a few years. I have taken the LSAT, albeit without much preparation and scored 153. My undergraduate gpa was 3.4 with a gpa of 4.0 in my major classes. Long story short I had options besides Concord but the extremely low cost of tuition coupled with their marketing made me think it might be a viable option to earn my JD. First off what is good about Concord: Books- they use the same curriculum as many ABA accredited law schools. Lectures- in each module there are one or two recorded lectures by practicing attorneys. (this will likely be your only experience with a successful practicing attorney at Concord) Unfortunately that is all I have to say positive about the school. Negatives Not ABA accredited- this is something that I went in knowing but underestimated the implications of. Without ABA accreditation a graduate's options are extremely limited. Get licensed and practice in CA as no states offer reciprocity, work in an extremely limited capacity in a federal setting or work in the backroom at a law office doing research. Don't take my word for this, search for graduates of non ABA accredited law schools (especially Concord) and see how many have been admitted to the bar's of other states. 4 Year JD- Though billed as a part time program, the amount of reading and note taking required is about 30 hours a week. That extra year or two not only represent additional tuition but lost opportunity as you will have no time to work or spend doing anything outside of reading or briefing. FYLSE- Because the school is not ABA accredited all students must take and pass the First Year Law Student Exam after their first year of school. The cost of the test is $740.00 (as of 2015) and Concord students pass this exam at about a rate of 1 in 3 for first time test takers. Of course you can take it again (at $740.00 a go) but you will not get credit for any of the law school you attend past the first year until you pass it. No practicing attorneys- This is something that was completely misrepresented on their website at the time I applied, they have since updated their website however it can still be a bit misleading. When you go to their faculty page you will see the names and faces of some attorneys, many of whom have successful practices. These attorneys prepare lectures for Concord which you watch as part of the modules they are not Concord faculty. Live classes- After attending the first four live classes (who are all taught by one professor) I began noticing a trend. The class time was dominated by the same students each week, asking the same irrelevant questions and who needed the most basic parts of the reading explained to them. The instructor seemed content to spend the majority of the time telling these students how to take notes, and letting them guess at the substantive parts of a case. In other words their was no real instruction in terms of Law. Bar passage rates- Compared with similar schools concord's bar passage rate is better but still far below most ABA accredited schools at 39% passage for first time takers in January 2015 . (worth noting: 1 in 5 Concord students pass the FYLSE and approximately 2 in 5 of those students who go on to complete the four years and take the bar pass it. I urge you not to take my word for it but do your own research.... Save your money and take a trip, start a business, buy the law books and study on your own, get a job flipping burgers all of which are a better use of your time.

I finished my JD in 2008. As an adult, with a family and a business, I always wanted to go to law school, but life derailed my ambitions, and I had always seen law school as one of those things "I should have done.." Working in the telecom industry, I figured that the time had come (in 2003) to look into whether it would be possible to do an on-line degree. I was excited, my husband suspicious. I let him vet the program and he decided it would be a good opportunity, and (back then) the price seemed right! The books are the same that all law schools use, and many of the professors were also professors in brick and mortar schools. For the most part, they were great. A couple were not. But that is probably the case with all schools. I found that school was always responsive, as were the professors. The best were the friends and study mates that I found along the way. Some of us met at the end of the first year, studying in LA with Bracci for the FYLSE> Others, I met at graduation. Many are still my friends and we visit when we can. They were an amazing group. Unlike other law schools, we were all older, with careers and previous degrees that law was building on. Most other law schools are filled with recent or relatively recent college grads, who have no idea what the work world is about. I have taught as a fill in for a friend at a local, prestigious law school, and I know what they students there are like, smart, but not like the students at Concord. Law school is hard, on-line school is hard, and you are on your own, no one to coddle you to finish your work or graduate. But it is an amazing opportunity. As for the technology, I imagine it is much more sophisticated now than 10 years ago, when I was there. Back then, however, it was pretty great, on-line classes, teachers picking on you to answer, but then the opportunity to view the lectures on your own time, if you had conflicts because of your kids soccer game or a business meeting. Great.

Classes sometimes didnt work live so they rescheduled. If You get a c- in a class they kick you out of the entire program and take your money and then try to put u in a non-jd program just to fill spots. there is a lot of turnover in the admin staff and it was hard to keep up with the changing advisors etc. if you are a working mom barely making it like i am and your dream is to become an attorney, do it Anywhere but this wannabe online school that forgets they are distance learning junk and not Harvard.

After reading the reviews, I had to speak up! I am in my 1st year, so i'm speaking from that perspective. The value of this online education is directly related to the time you dedicate to it. The format is very easy to follow, but only if you have the time. Like any Law school, it is hard. You must dedicate your time. The format is in Modules: 1,2,3 etc. If you follow the format, read the material, watch the video, attend the class, and take the quiz, you WILL get it! There really is no way to fail if you do the program exactly as it is set up! It is TIME consuming, and you must have it to succeed. I did great the first few Modules, as I dedicated the time to it. However, I am working full time, and more hours than I was supposed to. This has caused me to lag in my studies! Through no fault of Concord, i am unable to keep up! It is about time and dedication. If you are not working full time, and are only working 20 hours a week, or less, you can do it. If you are working full time, you wont be able to do it. Regardless if you manage your time. Not if you have any family or life at all..Its all about dedication, and working part time or less. I WOULD RECOMMEND CONCORD TO ANYONE. But you must have the TIME!

I am a 4th year student at Concord Law School. I am also a physician who attended and trained at UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, and Univ of Washington. I feel that I have received an education on par with any of these schools. I am interested in Health Law. Concord not only provided an extremely strong core curriculum, but also allowed me to take electives that will help in my pursuit. These electives included Health law, Administrative Law, Medical Product Liability, and Medical Risk Management, among others. I am developing a medical device and was able to take Patent Law, Patent Claim Drafting, patent litigation, and Patent Application drafting. Finally, I took a Trial Advocacy Class in the event that I would do some expert work. And I have no doubt that I will pass the bar. I am a member of one of our two moot court teams. We will compete against other school at the Traynor competition in April. We don’t miss out on these opportunities simply because we be in the same room as each other. I communicate with my teachers by phone and over the internet. The only real difference between Concord and the traditional law schools is that I am not physically next to my classmates. I think that by excluding these schools, Texas will lose out on a unique type of lawyer. One who has career and life experience. And lawyers like this could make unique and significant contributions to the people of the state and law in general.

One of the most frustrating features of this program was the administrative level of communication, or lack of same. I found once I had posted a question it took several days if not longer to receive a response if at all. The posting of semester grades was unacceptable. It was my experience that semester grades were not posted in a timely manner. The grades from a previous semester consistently were not posted until at least two/three weeks into the current semester. Clearly this created registration/financial aid issues. If you waited for your grades to register you were locked out of the Concord portal. This exasperated an already frustrating scenario. It also resulted in my beginning the current semester two/three weeks behind the pace set by the Concord Administration. The series of on line lectures for the Constitutional Law course were a taped voice only,there was no visual component to the lesson. Lack of visual input created a poor learning environment. Unfortunately many of the pre-taped videos were older and of a lesser quality. At no point did I experience a live face to face video conference/discussion with a professor. Based upon this experience I have pursued other options.

Concord law school has the worst financial aid department I have ever worked with! Not only do they work you to the bone, on what is called a part-time schedule, then they have the nerve to hold up your student loan stipend, when you need it to pay for that ridiculously expensive FYLSE! Unbelievable! Save your time, money and energy. After all the expense of this place, you'll probably end up not being able to transfer your credits to a brick and mortar school anyway. It's not worth it!

This is LAW SCHOOL. I chose an online program because I know independent learning is best for ME. If you are not an effective independent learner, if you do not have the discipline, if you are not ready to devote every non 9-5 workday minute to your studies, think again! I read, I listened to lectures over and over,created outlines worthy of Bar Prep study, PARTICPATED in the online classes, made friends and talked "offline" with classmates...I LEARNED. I passed California's first year law student's exam on the first try. I am entering my 4th year and will have my JD next year, will sit for and PASS the Bar. I am a 51 year old mother of a teen, and work full time. Not for the faint of heart but if you want to be a lawyer on your own terms and not be chained to brick and mortar, this is the program for you...provided you do not make the mistake of thinking an online program is a watered down, walk in the park program. It is NOT. Ask any of the Professors, this program meets (exceeds in the amount of writing you will do)brick and mortar schools out there. If you are ready to WORK, go for it. Best of luck!!

I would recommend anyone Concord. I just finish my 1st year final and the mbe portion of the exam is very basic and easy. I actually got 97% on one of the subjects. I belive they just try to pass everyone! I really appreciate they give me a chance because my undergraduate GPA is not even 3.0. I was also not approved of financial aid initially but I asked them for the number to call Fed financial aid and I talked to someone on the phone for less than 5 minutes and I was approved of over $20K per year financial aid. Before that, my pastor told me that God will give me money for school. If you want to go to a law school badly like me and have difficulty get into an aba school, consider Concord. You can always transfer to another school after you pass Baby Bar. And yeah, don't forget to pray to God to open doors for you.

The financial aid department is horrible, unprofessional and gives you excuse after excuse as to why the keep incorrectly processing your financial aid. Spent more time calling financial aid then doing class work. Concord should be ashamed of their unprofessional and uneducated financial aid "experts"

Save your money, Concord has too many traps and hoops to overcome. I learned this the hard way.

Concord Law is divided into three basic learning environments, (1) Prerecorded video lectures, (2) live online lectures, and (3) self-study. CLS use of technology to advance learning is extremely poor. (1) prerecorded lectures is simply a video of a lecturing professor. No visual learning aides are utilized. (2) Live online lectures allows only the instructor to speak, the student must type their answer, similar to a text message. The instructors rarely use the available online presentation board. The ability to lecture and engage a classroom is nearly non-existent. I actually had instructors who would ring a bell and scream into the microphone. The instructors either remain tightly scripted to their notes, or they spend the entire class telling war stories. The instructors also control all written questions and can elect to not even acknowledge a student's question. The live sessions rarely add to the student's knowledge. CLS has added a new feature for actual video conference, including the ability for student to speak VOIP, but the experience is rather poor. As for the self-study, you are on your own. Instructors respond only by internal email, which logs each email, and does not support replies. Therefore, the student emails their question, the instructor provides a rhetorical answer, and the student has to cut and paste the original email in order to raise any additional questions. Poor email construction and prone to failures. CLS FYLSE failure rate is 75%, the BAR exam is 85% The failure rates relate directly to the inability of CLS to clearly breakdown concepts and challenge the student's learning. If you want to pass either State Exams, do not the follow CLS methods, they are very ineffective. The majority of their JD students either fail out of the program or drop down in the executive JD program, which does not require any state exams, as it does not allow the earner to be eligible to take the State Bar Exams. Their academic advisers are terrible. My 1st year stated that achieving excellence in law school was not realistic and that I should embrace just passing. She also stated that the model essay writings were perfect for passing the FYLSE and that I should copy them word for word. My 2nd year adviser stated that the model essay answers were terrible as a method for passing the exams. When a instructor refused to take the time to review my legal writings with me, so that I might improve; she only stated that I should consider filing a complaint. The JD program is not a part-time program, but a full-time program. Though you read the same legal resources as traditional law schools, the lack of support from the instructors and the institution renders CLS ineffective. CLS also refuses to follow the general flow of all their texts. Preferring to jump back in forth in the text, because they feel that the concepts are presented out of order. The truth is that the concepts are perfectly in order and follow a very logical flow from simple conceptual understanding to more in depth learning. Approaching the part-time instructors is useless. Their answers are general in nature, rhetorical, and ineffective in clarifying the subject matter. I once able to have one of my instructors call me concerning my questions. He called me from his cell phone on the way to work in rush hour traffic. The conversation was useless as he could not reference anything that I was presenting, and he was focused on arriving to his full-time job on time. Real professional. The weekend review sessions for the state exams are ineffective. If you want to pass the state exams, pay a professional to either tutor you or attend a reputable preparation program. The CLS questions and essays are very general in nature and do not prepare the test taker for the more difficult state exams. Student inclusion and student participation is very low. One student does all the responding, while everyone else logs in and then either falls asleep or walks away from their computer. If you join CLS, be prepared to be on your own.

This program requires approximately 50 - 75 hours per week minimum to be successful. Do not attempt to work in any capacity while going through the JD program. Their estimates of 30- 35 hours per week are not accurate. Also, this program will consume your life, at the expense of everything else, including your family. Think very hard before attempting this. No matter what your undergraduate degree or your GPA, you are in for the ride of your life, with very little guarantee that the degree will be recognized. Please proceed with caution. If I had known the actual time this required up front, I would not have entered the program.

I did two years at Concord. First year they provided assitance and guidance. Second year you are on your own. Had to do a Constitutional Law eassy on the third module wihtout even any discussion of how to do one. At second year you are on your own. Did not pass the FYLSX so decided to transfer to the EJD. They re-set my course material and gave me new instructors for two of the four classes. For the EJD, grading was the same as the JD as opposed to emphasis on ganing a better understanding of the law. I do know people become lawyers in CA with Concord, but I do believe they are not what they represent they are. Overall diappointed in the program. They make you buy the books then half way through the modules you get the on-line West Law versions of the case books and horn books (as available). The second year instrcutors were more interested in logging off than answering questions and all they asked was you send them an e-mail. I do not have a brick and motor experience to compare but at least you have other students to interact. Study groups? Unless you are going to skype or are fortunate to have folks near you, good luck, not to mention the time zones differences for classes as those on the east coast have to take late classes. Be aware, this is not a part time program but really 3/4 time. If you are a full time working adult, you are going to have to mange your time. No doubt some folks have enjoyed and done well, but be aware of what you are getting into. Good luck and best wishes on your law school journey. BTW - if you are using the GI Bill, go to a brick and motor school and maximize your Housing Allownace benefits.

1. I just finished my year at kaplan and did not pass my finals. I am a returning student from another school in California after 22 years. I knew I had problems from the beginning. I was first told books plus tuition included, then after payment of $10,000 for the year, was told the amount was only for tuition. I was ill prepared for books. They offered horn book reading (temporary)through Westlaw but was told I had to get books. I could not. 2. All year the course and it's instructors pounded away with IRAC, IRAC, IRAC, inferring that was to be the main focus in the Finals. Well this is all well and done, but the major problem...Absolutely no emphasis on the Multi-State Portion(100 questions) of the 6 hour Final Exam. I was and I am not sure if others were totally ill prepared for the multi-state portion of the exam. Prior to finals, the multi-state issue was asked by students, the school's reply was simply that what we are studying in our multi-state practice questions is enough to get us by finals, and were told to look at CALI, just review them over and over. Well I did and memorized them. The Finals questions were set up with multitude of issues within the question. To practice such type of questions required at least half the year. The issues in the given practice questions during the year were 1 maybe 2. The issues in the Finals multi-state were 5-15 separate issues. No way to finish, no way to pass without constant review of different types of questions in various books. My scores were 65,65, 60 in essay. 65 passing. Multi-State after guessing...65, 65 and 40. I did not finish, guessed last 20 questions. To sit before the California Bar, I have to pass the kaplan finals and take the California Baby Bar. Worst of all I have to now wait 2 years to be re-instated. Now I will either apply to an accredited school or re-apply at another non-accredited school in 2 years (Per California Code). 3. It is less expensive this route(kaplan) to sit before the Bar, but lots of traps on the way. The school prepares you for IRAC, but take the initiative and do your own studying on Multi-State regarding KAPLAN, more than likely you will get a shot at the Baby Bar. My advice to not rely on KAPLAN for the Multi-State portion, they do not emphasize this.

The reviews are true, Concord's financial aid department is the worst. When you apply everyone is very friendly and ready to take your money, yet when it is time to get your funds released they delay paying you your money. I have been waiting for 2 months for the release of my second stipend. I called 3 times in a 2 week period and was told something different each time. It is extremely frustrating and quite honestly ridiculous.

I am so happy to be a student at Concord Law. I am an ESL student and for me to score high in LSAT is almost impossible. Because of that I waste thousands of dollars applying law schools each year without any success for about 10 years. Concord Law gave me a case study exam which is very easy in my point of view. This is my first year and the course is not so intense as I have expected. I am happy to have the same privilege to take the bar exam like any other law students after my graduation. At the same time, I don't have to struggle to pay my student loan afterwards since the tuition is inexpensive.

Not only is the program non-supportive, the financial aid Dept is the worst I've ever seen. From the very beginning I learned that the reviews were true. That's when I decided to try other options. My first thought on reading the reviews before starting was that it could not be that bad. But then to my surprise what I was reading was true. The teachers graded with low scores from TAs without much appropriate feedback. They took weeks to answer. Due to the rigor and time needed I decided to take time from work and use the financial aid stipend to supplement my income. Big mistake. Financial aid is horrible. They didn't send it automatically so I had to wait 30 days before they would manually send it. Then they forgot to put a stamp on it so I had to wait another 30 days before they would resend it with a stamp. So I waited over 60 days for my stipend. No one cared or even tried to assist me with finding out what happened during this time. After I left the school and went to another one, it took them 45 days to update my financial records so I could start my new school. Something that could be done within an hour.

I am currently a 3rd year student and this is the best investment I have made. It is not for everyone as the course is very challenging and a large number of people don't make it past the second year. You need to take the program as if it were a full time job and accept the idea of not getting great grades, but persistance will pay off. It is not an easy program by any means, but the top quality instructors and low cost of this legal education make it a very good value. On top of it all, you will be able to sit for the California Bar Exam after completing the JD, as California doesn't have a residency requirement. If you are willing to work hard, and finish what you started, this program will be extremely valuable given your opportunities upon completion.

I expected Law School to be hard. It is. I expected it to be expensive. It is, but Concord is less expensive than most brick-and-mortar (b&m) schools. The required books are the same than at many b&m law schools. The taped lectures are by some very well-known law professors and experts in their respective fields. The faculty students interact with at the live chats are very knowledgeable and approachable. Usually the faculty will respond to student's queries within a couple of days. Once when a Prof took a week in responding he apologized and said he had delayed responding because he was doing research in order to make sure he got the right answer for me. And his reply was thorough. Concord Law School prepares students very well for the First Year Law Students Exam. The School supplies multiple choice questions and essay questions and provides feedback on how well we do. Students get to interact on line, form study groups, communicate by email (yahoo groups, for instance, facebook as well) and establish an academic community. Downside? No face-to-face interaction. Skype helps, but it is just not the same. I miss that, although I have managed to meet some of my classmates in person. We are restricted from discussing our exam questions in the aftermath of them. This is an Honor Code restriction, The reasoning goes that because students start at different times in the year and advance at different speeds, we never know who has taken an exam and who has not. Anyway, that is the way it is. Some of the taped lectures' sound quality is not the best. Not every lecture is updated as frequently as the law changes. I have seen some complaints related to financial aid...I cannot comment on this as I have not had any problems on that score, but I am aware that some classmates have. In conclusion, my time at Concord has been most satisfactory. I am pleased with the quality of the teaching and I am constantly amazed at the talent and variety of experience of classmates--biologists, engineers, medical doctors, business entrepreneurs, computer programers, realtors, artists, writers, nurses, paralegals, anthropologists--and so many more.

This school is all about the money and does not care if they ruin your life. I had to make a decision to continue the last three months of 1L or withdraw for personal health reasons and family health concerns. I spoke with financial aid to ascertain I had passed the magical date for returning of student loans if I withdrew. They stated that I would owe them nothing, and that they would not have to return any of the student loan. I informed them that if they had to, I would continue, even though it would be a hardship. They knew I detrimentally relied on the information they provided. Relieved, I withdrew to help care for my family after a member's medically-induced coma and near-death experiences. The nightmare begins, because they returned $3K of the student loan and demand money. I am paying my student loan and can not pay them as well. I can not return to school because I owe them money....the money they claimed I would not owe. Northwest California is the better way to go...more one on one interaction with the professors....quick replies to email...and at two-thirds the price. Don't let them lie to you. Get anything they say in writing. They will ruin your life...and they don't care.

Concord is one of the most expensive online schools, yet you get nothing for what you pay. Faculties are not good at all. Grading is not good, or fair. My essay was graded each time by a different TA, and confusing comments are received. Always same grades, even if you address all issues, and they comment that you have addressed all the issues. The Faculty is horrible. They get few students of their own circle, interact with them and get them good grades at the end. I received Criminal Law A, Tort B and contract C in my Final, my grade was B, C, C- when it was posted. Faculty, sometimes are expensive , stuck up attorneys, who make you feel stupid, and put you down, any time you ask or email a question. Financial Aid, make you cry and scream. Mistakes, after mistakes, lies after lies. You don't receive any support at this school. I am trying to pass FYLSE by the help of Flemings materials, and I think, I will be successful. Meanwhile, what do we get? The stuck up detached school, posts there that or, only GPA:over 3 would pass FYLSE.... It is a huge mistake to start with them. I had a great GPA(over 3.5) when I applied to them, I worked very hard, I receive stuck up Professors, confused, scattered TAs, and very unorganized Financial Aid, taking over 10,000 USD every year, holing your book and educational assistance up at school and mislead you that you would receive the money anyday. Overall, a system of dictatorship, hypocrisy, control and stuck up , phoney instructors, all playing a game they care about the students, they never do. They even control the Web sides and post numerous dependent websites and filter students comments. They posted the GPA in correlation to passing FYLSE to show that it is students fault if they don't pass, hey look good students pass, some one need to ask what happened to 7 years after that Data? why aren't you posting that? They are so phoney, they are so Hippocratic, they are rip off, and never think of student, just phoney to take your money... Students...! don't go there, if you care .... ask few people before you do....

I received an excellent education. The education completed at Concord Law School is not for everyone, though. It requires dedication, time for studies, self-initiated learning, and a technologically capable student. Overall, the baby bar will weed out those who do not take the education seriously. The first year is tough because you learn to think and write like a lawyer. The three years thereafter simply require discipline to complete the degree in a unique environment of distance-learning combined with professor support. If you are part of the 2% of Americans that finish what they start, this is an excellent choice of a law school if distance or cost is an issue at a traditional law school. Best of luck in the decision-making.

I have really enjoyed the start of my Concord Law School (CLS) experience, which begins with their pre-law school 6-week Fundamentals Course. I feel the most valuable lesson learned from the course is what to possibly expect when I start in June. I feel it has helped me understand the online educational process CLS uses to teach, how to get around the school, and what to expect from a commitment standpoint. I finished the program in a little more than three weeks and now am spending time looking at other areas that the school offers, like ARC, Career services, Law library, etc. I am also reading some other guides/books concerning the first year in law school. This will really help me get prepared to hit the ground running in June.

Instructors discuss cases not assigned. Test on material not assigned. I'm ready to leave as soon as I have started. They need to be more organized and give more support. I can see the writing on the wall and this certainly is not for anyone with a full-time or even a part-time job. This is a 10 hour a day course. Don't spend the money unless you REALLY and I MEAN REALLY have that much time to devote.

Overall, it has potential. The idea of study law online is an intriguing one and has potential in the future. However, the programme as it stands does need some improvements. The archived lectures, while at times interesting, skip and it's frustrating not being able to ask the lecturer a question directly. A few of them are audio only, which, for me is unacceptable. Furthermore, the live lectures, while at times interesting, are subject to some audio issues and use audio and IM only- no video. Sadly, for a programme that relies on technology so heavily for its commercial and academic success, the school should upgrade the system. I will say that the faculty are exceptionally helpful and approachable. For that, I gave them a 10.

Overall, I am very happy with the legal education I am getting from Concord. I am especially pleased with the instructors and lecturers many of whom have top credentials. I am an executive with a software company and would never get through a traditional law school program due to the class attendance requirements. I frequently travel internationally for weeks at a time. Without Concord, I would have no hope of advancing my career through an advanced knowledge of law. Thanks to the Concord Team!

After attending one of the nations best known schools, presently offering both online and a brick and morter education, I found myself at Concord. The Teachers and Professors focus on the success of each student. When compared to my peers I have found that I excel in every instance. An Online education takes an exorbant amount of self discipline, dedication and committment, that traditional brick and mortar schools simply do not offer. The online programs offered by these "traditional" schools are substandard and sloppy at best. Concord's committment to producing the best of the best - justifies their continued focus on Nationwide ABA acceptance. I am sure as the students of Concord continue pulling off the highest Bar Exam Scores and continued acceptance by the U.S. Surpreme Court Bar, Concord will prove to be inline if not better than Havard and Yale.

I am a 3rd year EJD student. The first year was fine and I would have given the kind of positive appraisals others have posted here. From the beginning of year 2 and continuing to less than an hour ago I find I must cajole, push, confront and demand that Concord provide the program as described. In my opinion and experience, this is NOT a program for fulltime employed adults. The course work requires about 40 yours a week. A student should plan on taking about 3 weeks vacation from their job in order to meet Concord’s schedules for course work, exams etc. The focus of courses even EJD courses is passing the bar exam. This is NOT what the EJD program is about. The course topics and assignments are designed for the practice of law. In my opinion, we EJD students are viewed as lesser, JD unqualified and JD wanna-be students. Concord does not understand nor value neither who the EJD student is, nor what the field and professional application really is. The curriculum is not well coordinated. Readings (cases) don’t match lecture topics. Assignments don’t promote critical analysis of the EJD field and do not have any application to the real world. The technology is out of sync with the rapidly advancing field and I have had to down grade to earlier versions of software programs in order to be compatible with the Concord platform. Technology services can take days to respond. Administrative responses to questions are NOT prompt. The tone and demeanor of responses is often negative, judgmental and blaming of students. More recently, I have noticed a tone and structure that assumes students are cheating and make them jump through hoops to prove they are not. It is most unfortunate that they appear so disinterested in student success and more interested in creating barriers for students. Students are left to scour documents and search the fine print for answers that are neither readily available nor apparent. Contrary to the criticism from other posts, I do NOT find that my colleagues in the EJD program are looking to have professors and advisors “hold their hands”. Nor do they lack an understanding that this is “graduate school”. Quite the contrary, all of those I am familiar with have advanced degrees and a history of success as graduate students. I do believe that Concord misrepresent as well as undervalues the EJD program and then has little interest in the students. It is unfortunate because the potential to be an outstanding program is there but they fall short on a daily basis and seem to have no interest in improving. Listening to students is not their forte.

I chose an online law school because I could not attend a traditional one, could not invest that much time away from home. With online I was able to do the lectures on my schedule and keep up with long nights and weekends. Law School online is hard, and one must be willing to put in the time. I just read a review from a person in the EJD program at Concord claims little support, and that he is unsure of the benefit. Why then is he in the program? This is graduate school, and it seems too many of these people are looking for something easy. It is really hard to believe most of these post. I had lots going on in my life, so it took me four years to complete the EJD, and I feel good about the accomplishment. I'm using the degree in a limited practice of law. If one checks around, there are opportunities if you can pass the exams.

I earned my MBA online, and as an experienced online student I can say Concord is a quality program. Being an online student requires a ton of discipline, and if you expect the professors to hold your hand through the process of earning your degree, it is definitely not for you. But if you need good mentorship and educational discourse, then it's the best way to "virtually" earn your degree and still work in the "real" world. I recomment it highly.

I would have to agree with the above poster. It seems that after they get your money it's hard to get help from them. The advisiors never check on their students. They often change the program, then when there is a problem they say well this is what was in the catalog. I enjoyed the live classes that's why I gave them a 10 on technology. They have this rule that says you must login every 21 days.After the first year I had a lot of problems with them. It seems to be a money thing with them.

Best law program around. Concord is the Harvard of the internet and the future of legal education. I have professors from some of the top law schools in the country teaching classes. Even a couple from Harvard. Go figure.

i agree with the other reviewer that there is a strong focus on passing certain tests..HELLO, what good is the degree if you don't pass the BAR exam..my experience has been dramatically different than his/hers. The texts are great.. The video classes were fine, although they were , at times, out of sync with the other homework..however, this was a minor inconvenience. i believe you get out of it what you put into it. the feedback was excellent and timely..i've yet to wait more than a few days for an answer to my question. generally, they wouldn't tell me to 'not worry abput it' but to investigate it myself instead of just giving me the answer. i know of many concord graduates that are doing just fine with their degrees. It is pricey, i'll admit, but they haven't steered me wrong yet..so, i'm going to continue on and trust the system...

Am working on their Executive JD program, meaning I study a modifed verson of the JD track and could earn a degree of uncertain value after 3 years (instead of 4). I started in the JD track and, as the pace got faster, transferred to the EJD. The time required is unrealistic for full-time adults. Represented as 15-20 hours per week, it realistically requires 30-35 hours per week on average to properly complete assignments. Being a Kaplan school, Concord's main thrust is teaching how to take the Bar Exam. There is far less interest in discussing concepts or teaching content. More than once online replies to my questions have been "Don't waste your time on that." In the EJD track, teaching support is nearly absent. Quality of feedback is significantly worse, and time for feedback takes much longer. Finally, curriculum materials are often out of date, and video lectures are out of synch with reading assignments making the learning experience more difficult (listening to a lecture on cases not read and not assigned for many weeks in the future). In my opinion, and based on 12-months experience, I find Concord to have misrepresented their program, to deliver a shoddy product which is not being maintained in a timely manner, and to provide support services of uncertain and unpredictable quality. Being among the more expensive distance learning options, they disappoint. And, shamelessly, they keep increasing their tuition by 5% or more each semester, pushing them close to $10,000 per year. Too much, frankly, for the program they deliver. Distance learning degrees are not yet recognized by higher learning accreditation authorities, their credits cannot be transferred, and their degree is not ABA recognized. In other words, all you might possibly get is knowledge, but their program is rigidly focused on passing a test which is of uncertain value to its students -- with very little interest in actually teaching anything. Disappointing, to say the least. I won't be paying them any more for two more years of this silly dance. I have the texts, I will get as much by reading them on my own.