Concord Law School Grad to Be Sworn into Massachusetts Bar

Business Wire, June 22, 2009

Ross Mitchell to become first online law school graduate to win this privilege

LOS ANGELES -- Concord Law School alumnus Ross Mitchell will be sworn into the state bar of Massachusetts today becoming the first online law school graduate to have won this privilege. He did so after persuading the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, in a 6-to-1 decision, to allow him to sit for the bar exam since Massachusetts does not allow graduates of non ABA-accredited law schools to sit for their exam. Ross passed the Massachusetts bar exam in February.

“Ross Mitchell is an example of the type of highly motivated individual who is drawn to the study of law through his life and career experiences. Since its establishment in 1998, Concord has provided students like Ross with an opportunity to get a rigorous legal education without many of the costs associated with campus-based programs, enabling working professionals the ability to attain a professional law degree,” said Dean Barry Currier, J.D., Concord’s President and Dean. “We are proud to have Ross as a graduate of our school. I am confident that he will be an excellent member of the legal profession in Massachusetts.”

A resident of West Newton, Mass., Mitchell was the 2004 valedictorian of Concord Law School of Kaplan University, the nation’s first fully online law school. Shortly after graduating, he passed the California Bar Exam, one of the nation’s most rigorous. As a member of the California bar, he was subsequently admitted to the bars of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and, in March 2008, he was one of the first online-educated attorneys to be admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court.

About Concord Law School

Concord Law School of Kaplan University boasts an enrollment of 1,500 students across the country and around the world. Nearly 900 have completed the JD and EJD programs. A recent milestone was the school’s 10th anniversary, celebrated in 2008. The formal merger of Concord into Kaplan University in the fall of 2007 made Concord the first online law school to be part of a regionally accredited institution of higher education. Kaplan University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Concord is also accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, a nationally recognized accrediting agency. Additionally, Concord is an institutional member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the International Association of Law Schools. For more information, visit www.info.concordlawschool.edu.

Concord Law School is part of Kaplan Higher Education, which serves more than 114,000 students through 70-plus campus-based schools and online operations across the United States and abroad. It also has online programs through Kaplan Virtual Education and Kaplan University. Kaplan Higher Education schools offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from high school diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris doctor degree. Kaplan Higher Education is part of Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO). For more information, visit www.portal.kaplan.com.