Press Release

November 19, 2018

Concord Law School at Purdue University Global Marks 20th Anniversary

Peter Tosches

Los Angeles, Calif. (November 8, 2018) – Concord Law School at Purdue University Global, the nation’s first fully-online law school, is celebrating 20 years since it opened its virtual doors in 1998.

Concord’s first two decades have been highlighted by numerous achievements, including graduating thousands of professionals, launching groundbreaking programs and, earlier this year, affiliating with the prestigious Purdue University system through the establishment of Purdue University Global.

“Twenty years ago, we set out to challenge the legal education system by revolutionizing the way students can obtain a law degree by making it both affordable and flexible,” said Martin Pritikin, the dean of Concord Law School at Purdue University Global. “Today our mission continues through the development of innovative programs that have affected the lives of thousands of graduates.”

The school’s accomplishments reflect its mission to provide affordable and accessible legal education for individuals for whom a traditional law degree was out of reach. That philosophy has appealed to a mix of students comprised of working adults living in remote areas away from traditional law schools and professionals seeking to learn new skills to enhance their work or embark on new careers.

“Concord’s unique combination of highly diverse students with a broad range of professional and personal experiences contribute to a well-rounded legal education,” said Pritikin. “We’ve also attracted respected legal minds who form part of the school’s distinguished faculty, bringing years of valuable courtroom, boardroom, and public sector experience.”

As a leader in online legal education, Concord not only attracts a diverse group of students and faculty, it also offers innovative programs and a curriculum that reflects today’s legal needs.

Over the years, Concord has raised the bar by exploring unique ways to engage with its students while developing some of the most cutting-edge programs for online learning. Its award-winning moot court program prepares students to compete against students from brick-and-mortar law schools. In 2017, Concord launched the first online law school incubator program in partnership with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County’s Lawyer Entrepreneur Assistance Program (LEAP) to help graduates launch their own practices and use technology to represent clients remotely.

In addition to offering a Juris Doctor (J.D.), Concord was the first online law school to develop an Executive Juris Doctor (E.J.D.), a program designed for students who aren’t interested in becoming a lawyer, but want relevant legal knowledge and skills to help advance their careers.

Recently, the law school revised its entire curriculum to incorporate best practices in legal education with the latest research in adult and distance learning. Concord’s required curriculum now includes at least one document drafting exercise or oral argument exercise in each upper division course; presentation of a business plan in the “Future of Law Practice” course; a family law practicum capstone in the final year; and 15 units of experiential learning. Electives offered include courses in rapidly changing areas of the law, including cybersecurity, immigration and health.

Concord joined the Purdue University system in April when it was acquired, along with the former Kaplan University, and began operating as part of Purdue University Global. The acquisition enabled Concord to begin enrolling students in J.D. and E.J.D. programs in all 50 states.

Online legal education recently has gained greater acceptance by the American Bar Association. Earlier this year, the ABA doubled the number of credits that law school students may earn online as part of their degree program, from 15 to 30 credit hours.

“As we continue to map out our next 20 years of success and innovation, we firmly believe the future of legal education is online,” said Purdue Global Chancellor Betty Vandenbosch. “Concord will continue to play a crucial role in shaping the future of online legal education while expanding the education opportunities available to our students.”

About Purdue Global
Purdue University Global is the extreme personalization online university, providing students the competitive edge to advance in their chosen careers. It offers a hyper-tailored path for students to earn an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations — no matter where they are in their life journey.

Purdue Global serves approximately 27,000 students, most of whom earn their degree online. It also operates 14 locations in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Maryland, Maine, Missouri and Wisconsin. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue University’s flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates two regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest, Indiana, as well as serving close to 6,000 science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI) Indianapolis campus.

For more information about Purdue Global, please visit www.PurdueGlobal.edu.

PRESS CONTACTS:

Peter Tosches
Office: 954-515-4124
Mobile: 901-692-2220
peter.tosches@purdueglobal.edu

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