St. Francis School of Law

St. Francis School of Law
Established Fall 2011
School type Private online law school
Dean Carole Buckner, JD
Location Irvine, CA, US
Faculty 13
Website www.stfrancislaw.com

The St. Francis School of Law is an online law school based in Irvine, California. It is registered as a distance learning law school with the State Bar of California and upon completing its online law degree program and passing the "Baby Bar" administered by the State Bar of California, students are issued a JD (Juris Doctor). St. Francis was founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and attorneys. Its curriculum focuses on the First-Year Law School Examination (FYLSX) and practical legal skills instead of theory.

Degrees offered

A Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degree is currently the only degree offered. Students who pass the FYLSX and California Bar Examination and otherwise meet all requirements of the State Bar of California are eligible to be admitted to the State Bar of California and may practice law in California.

The online J.D. program is a four-year program in which students must complete 48 weeks of instruction and 2 weeks of exams each year. Students who complete St. Francis' online J.D. program will have met the legal education requirement of the State Bar of California and may apply for admission to the State Bar of California to practice law.[1]

Faculty

St. Francis' faculty includes Dean Carole J. Buckner, Professor Karen Travis, Professor Willis Baughman, Professor Adam Lippe, Professor Harvey Schweitzer, Professor David Graubert, Professor Howard Klein, Professor Raymond Chao, Professor Michael White, Professor Roger Cusick, Professor Miho Murai, Professor Annie Pan, and Professor Aaron Gershonowitz, among others. For the most current listing check the website. St. Francis focuses on faculty members that are practicing attorneys with substantial professional experience and teaching experience that can be used in the classroom.[2]

Student population

As quoted in a U.S. News & World Report article about online law schools, former dean Peter Young said St. Francis does not target students interested in a career practicing law at large law firms, but instead focuses on "entrepreneurs, working professionals and those considering a career change . . .."[3]

According to St. Francis’ website, over 60% of St. Francis’ students hold master's degrees or Phd’s and the student population includes students from a variety of higher learning institutions such as Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, Thunderbird, Cornell, U.C. Berkeley, Stanford, and INSEAD.<ref name=Student Population"> St. Francis (Student Body Profile) </ref>

Tuition

St. Francis' tuition is $6,500 which is all-inclusive.[4] The total tuition for the four-year program is $26,000.

References

External links