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It’s Time to Rethink ABA Accreditation as a Barrier to Legal Practice

I graduated from Concord Law School, now known as Purdue Global Law School, the first fully online law school in the United States. While it isn’t accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), California recognizes its graduates and allows them to sit for the bar exam. I earned my J.D., passed the California Bar, and have practiced law virtually for over five years.

But when I recently applied for admission to the State Bar of Arizona, I was denied—solely because Concord is not ABA-accredited. Not due to any lack of skill, ethics, or experience—but because I didn’t follow the “traditional” and often prohibitively expensive law school path.

It’s time for states to recognize that legal education and legal practice have changed. The ABA accreditation system, while well-intentioned, has become an exclusionary gatekeeper that reinforces elitism and restricts access to justice. Many brick-and-mortar law schools charge $150K+ in tuition, pricing out countless capable students from entering the profession.

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✅ States That Allow Non-ABA Pathways

Not all states follow this rigid model. For example:

• California, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington permit bar admission without an ABA-accredited degree through law office study or state-approved schools.
  (FindLaw)
• Other states—like Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington—allow non-ABA graduates who’ve practiced law in another U.S. jurisdiction for a number of years to apply for admission on motion, despite lacking an ABA-accredited J.D.
  (LawSchoolNumbers)
• In a promising shift, Oregon is developing alternatives to the bar exam through supervised practice portfolios, though it still does not recognize non-ABA graduates from states like California for admission on motion.
  (Stateline.org)

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❌ States Still Clinging to the ABA Rule

Despite the growing need for legal access, Arizona maintains an outdated policy requiring graduation from an ABA-accredited school, rejecting otherwise qualified attorneys licensed in California.
(Wikipedia – Bar Admission in the U.S.)

Oregon, as mentioned above, has innovated in some ways but still bars experienced California attorneys from transferring in without the ABA credential.

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🌟 A Landmark Win in Texas

In contrast, Texas recently took a bold step forward. Its Rule 13 allows lawyers who’ve actively practiced for at least three of the past five years and hold a J.D. from a state-accredited but non-ABA law school to be admitted on motion.

In a landmark case, a seasoned California attorney and graduate of Concord Law School was granted admission to the Texas Bar, marking a breakthrough for non-traditional legal professionals.
(Reddit thread 1)
(Reddit thread 2)

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🧭 Where We Go from Here

If Texas, a traditionally conservative legal jurisdiction, can recognize legal talent beyond ABA credentials, why can’t Arizona and Oregon? Why should attorneys who’ve served clients, managed virtual practices, and upheld ethical standards be barred simply for choosing a more flexible, affordable, and accessible route?

It’s time to stop treating ABA accreditation as the only legitimate path to legal practice. Justice shouldn’t be reserved for those who can afford six-figure tuition bills. More states should open their doors to competent, experienced lawyers—no matter where they earned their degrees.

This article was written by Jennifer Dickinson with the assistance of artificial intelligence (ChatGPT by OpenAI) to help research sources, clarify legal pathways, and organize thoughts for publication.

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