One of the lesser known ways of how to become a lawyer is to obtain an online law degree. The online law degree is nothing more than the modernization of on old and time-tested system of correspondence law degrees.

Believe it or not, such law degrees were (and still are) a well respected and, “traditional" means of earning a law degree. Long before the advent of ABA law schools in America, lawyers around the world earned their law degrees by self-study methods and/or in conjunction with apprenticeship programs and distance learning law programs such as the prestigious University of London External Programme which dates back as early as 1833.

Once the Internet gained popularity, correspondence law degrees soon became the online law degree. In reality, many purely correspondence law schools still operate today to accommodate the few remaining diehards without Internet access. However, most students prefer not to be bogged down with the snail mail system and solitary learning of correspondence programs and opt for more modern, Internet based systems were one can earn a true "online law degree."

The online law degree may actually have some distinct advantages over the classroom based law schools model. Think about this for a moment, in the traditional classroom environment law students sit and listen to lectures from the "sage on the stage" while taking copious notes and struggling to keep up with the professor. Inevitably, even the best and brightest are apt to miss something of importance in the process. What's more, if their professors forbid audio taping of their lectures (almost a virtual certainty), once the lecture is over the student has only his or her notes and fragile memory to rely upon—leaving behind a mere remnant of the lecture in most cases.

Contrast this with the online law degree where lectures are available by streaming video, audio and downloadable files from which students may listen to and view over and over until they've truly mastered the material...isn't that the goal of all educators?

The online law degree has virtually eliminated the inherent weakness of correspondence law school—solitary learning. Correspondence law students always suffered from intellectual loneliness and an inability to participate in academic discourse with their peers. This problem is eliminated with online law degree models that frequently provide bulletin boards and online chat rooms where students can discuss the law and current cases with their fellow students and professors.

Online law degree programs, it seems, have not only fully replicated the classroom experience, but may have actually succeeded in enhancing it.