Looking into obtaining an online law degree is a great idea because normally it takes a lot of years to finish law. This is because law school is at the level of a post graduate degree. Students accepted to law degree programs either Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws are supposed to have previously completed a bachelors degree or an equivalent. Thus many law school candidates may opt to work while studying, and they can do so by pursuing an online law degree.
Online Law Degree Explained:
Even before the advent of the Internet, there were already long distance degree programs. The predecessors of online education were called “correspondence courses”, wherein the students send their required papers/documents representing their body of work for the educational program by mail to their teachers. However, that was a tedious process and hardly reliable since papers may be made by someone else other than the enrollee. 
Nowadays, the Internet makes things easier for aspiring lawyers since they need not be physically present in their classrooms to complete units should they pursue an online law degree. Furthermore, unlike students from the old correspondence courses who hardly meet the professors and attend their lectures, modern-day students can actually listen to lectures of their teachers on their computers that have an Internet connection and ask questions by chatting or video conferencing should they choose to pursue an law degree.
While enrolling in a law degree online, it can be an appealing option for professionals with work and families, do note that this option also has quite a number of drawbacks. Since online degrees are non-standard educational certifications, these are not widely accepted by the industry, even including some of the companies you want to be employed. As such, while you may be able to finish the coursework through an online degree program, the fact that you got the degree online can limit some of the privileges you would have enjoyed had you gotten it from the traditional brick-and-mortar schools.
Online Law Degree: Things To Consider
There may also be regulations that may limit what you can do with your online law degree, so be sure to study what regulations there are in your country concerning online degrees before you enroll into any online programs. For example, no online law school is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) in the United States. This becomes important when you realize that 49 states require that law school graduates earn their degree from academic institutions that have been accredited by the ABA in order to take the bar exam. Furthermore, since law degree is not accredited by the American Bar Association, it may not prepare you for the most prestigious positions and highest paying jobs. Most importantly, your knowledge of the law may be questioned by firms, groups or individuals since your education was not completed in the standard manner.
In the US, it is only California that allows graduates from distance learning law schools to take the bar examinations. If you get accepted in the California bar and are able to practice law, after a few years it may be possible for you to practice law in some other states, since many states will permit California lawyers to take their bar exams after five to seven years of practicing law. Completing a Master of Law program from a regular school that has been accredited by the American Bar Association can help you qualify to take the bar exam in other states if you have an online law degree. However, this can be counterproductive: why bother completing an online law degree if you are forced to take regular classes in a masteral program afterwards?
If you insist on pursuing an online law degree, be realistic with your expectations. Studying law online may not satisfy the aspirations of many people but it could be worthwhile for the right person. Consider and reconsider everything before you decide to enroll in an online law degree program.