I know that there are lots of options for working professionals who intend to get their law degree – by the way, I must say a big congratulations for deciding to partake in this tough but worthy journey – but, you should understand fully well what you are about to do first.
You might need to ask yourself if you really want to go to law school. If your intention of going to law school now that you have other responsibilities is something besides the intention of working as a lawyer, then you should think about it again.
Because law schools, even for full-time students, are very competitive, grades and class rankings are very important here, and earning a good grade is very hard. That means you need to devote your time to make this work, you need to be disciplined and committed to this for at least 4 years. So you can also consider whether leaving a job to fully concentrate on your JD Program for 3 years will be more beneficial for you and your family.
This is not to scare you but to help you realize the odds you have.
You can also consider one of the affordable online law schools to see if it will be more convenient, or even some other online law schools that don’t require LSAT.
That said, let’s look into some of these part-time law schools.
Accredited Part-time Law Schools in California
1. Loyola Law
Interestingly, Loyola Law doesn’t only provide an evening part-time program, but it also uses a hybrid format (online and on-campus) format of teaching. Which increases convenience, especially for working professionals and those with very busy schedules.
Also, the school has consistently ranked the No. 1 part-time program in the West by U.S. News & World Report.
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Locations:
Downtown Law Campus
919 Albany Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Westchester Main Campus
1 LMU Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Playa Vista Campus
12105 E. Waterfront Drive, Suite 200
Playa Vista, CA 90094
2. Purdue Global Law School
This school provides a 100% online part-time law school in California, which means you don’t even need to join the busy California commute to school. Also, you don’t need LSAT to be admitted, and their tuition is 67% less than other California ABA-accredited law schools.
Accreditation: ABA-accredited
Location:
2029 Century Park East, Suite 400, Los Angeles, California 90067
3. University of San Francisco – School of Law
Just like most part-time programs in California, you’ll be spending 4 years at the University of San Francisco, unless you want to use summer classes to accelerate the program. The downside is their part-time program is taught only on the day of your first year which can be tasking for professionals working during the day.
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Location:
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
4. University of the Pacific – Part-time JD Program
Just like other part-time law programs in California, this one also has the same curriculum, faculty, and methods of instruction, offered to full-time students.
They focus on evening classes from Monday through Thursday, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Location:
Stockton Campus
3601 Pacific Ave.
Stockton, CA 95211
Sacramento Campus
3200 Fifth Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95817
San Francisco Campus
155 Fifth St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
5. Santa Clara University – School of Law
To help reduce your course load to 3 nights a week during the regular school year, Santa Clara provides summer school. And many part-time students usually partake in it after their first year, by taking one or two classes during the summer.
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Location:
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053
6. University of San Diego – School of Law
The University of San Diego provides a 4-year part-time evening program, scheduled from Mondays through Thursdays at 5:30 pm. Also, you can switch to day classes or request to transfer to full-time status, but this must be done after you have completed the first year.
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Location:
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110
7. Glendale University College of Law
JD program part-time classes at Glendale University College of Law start from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm Monday through Thursday.
Accreditation: State Bar of California
Location:
220 North Glendale Avenue
Glendale, California 91206
8. University of La Verne – Part-time JD Program
Part-time programs at the University of La Verne are available both during the day and evening, increasing students’ options to choose from. The Part-Time JD Program covers the same doctrinal, values, and skills-based curriculum as the Full-Time JD Program.
Accreditation: Accredited by the State Bar of California
Location:
16715 Von Karman Ave., #100
Irvine, CA 92606
9. Southwestern Law School
The part-time program provided by this school was established basically to accommodate students with child or elder care responsibilities. Note that, for the first two years, classes are held in the morning. Whereas the final two years give you opportunities for elective courses and externships.
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Location:
3050 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90010
10. The Colleges of Law
This is another law school that provides a 100% online master of law program. It also provides a hybrid part-time JD program whereby students will start with a foundational semester to ensure that every student has the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in law school.
Accreditation: State Bar of California
11. Trinity Law School
This is one of the very few law schools that focus on biblical perspectives. The school also gives you the opportunity to choose to complete your part-time JD program online, on-campus, or hybrid.
Accreditation: State Bar of California
Location:
2200 N. Grand Ave. Santa Ana, CA 92705
12. Pepperdine – Caruso School of Law
Caruso School of Law offers an Extended JD Program which gives students the chance to complete a JD degree up to the maximum of seven years (84 months).
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Location:
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263
13. Thomas Jefferson School of Law
This school provides two part-time programs to accommodate working professionals. There is the Residential JD Program and the Online JD Program where graduates from each of them are immediately eligible to take the California bar examination.
14. San Francisco Law School
This school provides an evening part-time JD Program which takes four years to complete. Classes are held Mondays through Thursdays. Other activities like Moot Court, Bar Examination preparation classes, and other courses are offered in the summer.
Accreditation: State Bar of California
15. Cal Northern School of Law
This is another school that provides an evening part-time JD program that can be done in person or online three nights a week. You can also earn your Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) degree within two years, as a part-time student.
Accreditation: State Bar of California
Location:
1395 Ridgewood Dr., Ste. 100
Chico, CA 95973
16. USC Gould School of Law
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Location: 699 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
17. UWLA School of Law
Accreditation: Accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
Location:
West Los Angeles Campus
9800 S. La Cienega Blvd., 12th Floor
Inglewood, CA 90301
San Fernando Valley Campus
21650 Oxnard St., Suite 200
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
18. Western State College of Law
Accreditation: ABA Accredited
Location:
17877 Von Karman Ave, 4th Floor,
Irvine, CA 92614
19. Abraham Lincoln University
Accreditation: State Bar of California
Location:
500 N. Brand Blvd,
Suite 2000, Office 12
Glendale, CA 91203
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Part-Time Law School in California
1. Course Format
You can see that some schools’ part-time JD program is done in the evening, some are weekend programs, and there is also a hybrid format (combining in-person and online classes). You should know which one works best for you before applying.
2. Accreditation
One of the things you should know is that California is one of the few states in the United States that accept unaccredited law schools. Well, the difference is that accredited law school programs have been scrutinized and approved by the government, unlike unaccredited schools.
This means that accredited schools are obligated to provide better-quality legal education.
Also, in California law schools are either accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) or by a state bar association, such as the California Bar Association. The ABA-accredited schools give you the privilege to take a bar exam and become a lawyer in any state, whereas a law school that is accredited by the state will only allow you to practice law in California.
3. Length of Part-time JD program
You also need to know that it takes an average of 3 to 4.5 years (mostly 4) to complete while a full-time program usually takes only 3 years to complete.
4. Work Experience
One of the admission requirements that most of these part-time schools demand is work experience. You should look out for the minimum work experience from each school.
5. Cost and Financial Aid
You shouldn’t also ignore the cost of studying from each school, also check out available financial aid and scholarships from each school.
6. Location
Since you’ll be mostly commuting yourself to and from home or work, you should consider the distance of the school from your home too, especially for evening formats. And, California, especially Southern California traffic can be so high, which usually affects commuting time.
So you should also plan well on when to leave for classes (especially if your classes are 100% on-campus).
Key Takeaway
There you have it! I have provided you with 19 accredited part-time law schools in the state of California, it’s now left for you to decide which fits your goals.
Remember that law school for even full-time students is very competitive talk more of part-time students with other obligations. Be sure you’re ready for the sacrifice, and also consider if a full-time 3-year program will be the best option for you.
Don’t be in a hurry to make your decision.