Think you don’t have time to get a legal education? Think again! Birmingham School of Law offers a Saturday program that will fit perfectly into your schedule. Students from all over the state of Alabama come to BSL for our Saturday program because it is very convenient and does not require students to go into a lot of debt to afford it.
Below, we discuss the details of this program and why it is so important to everyone in our communities to have an affordable and convenient law degree program available to them.
Saturday Program at BSL
The Saturday program commences in the Fall, and all classes required for graduation are taught in four different class periods on Saturdays:
1st Period: 9:00-11:45 am
2nd Period: 12:30-3:15 pm
3rd Period: 3:30-6:15 pm
4th Period (usually an elective): 6:30-9:15 pm
Students must take a minimum of 3 courses per term, which will allow them to complete their degree in 3 ⅓ years.
Curriculum
The BSL curriculum is intended to provide a solid base for legal knowledge, teach fundamental legal analysis skills, and offer insight into the various legal processes. Students learn practical, real-world lessons from professors who are practicing lawyers and attorneys. They not only learn the law but how to be a lawyer.
Anyone can benefit from studying law. The knowledge you gain at BSL can be used to create a law practice or to enhance your skills in whatever career you may already have. Our student body is very diverse and includes students with a variety of educational backgrounds and professional experience. There is no perfect undergraduate degree for the study of law, and BSL does not require a pre-law degree for admission.
A dedicated student body and faculty means success
Even though the program makes a law degree more accessible to people who would not be able to attend classes in a traditional setting, it is not an easy feat to undertake. As Scott Garrett, Associate Dean of Birmingham School of Law, says, “One must be exceptionally dedicated and have remarkable discipline to even consider undertaking a non-traditional legal education such as the one we offer.”
It is this dedication that makes the program successful. Scott Garrett continues, “The dedication and discipline of our students is emblematic of the resiliency of our program and our commitment to our students and the Alabama legal community.”
Because of the rigorous curriculum and the dedication required, students and faculty form bonds and networks of support based on mutual respect. In this way, they ensure mutual success. Scott Garrett adds, “The fact that the vast majority of our students have commitments that, generally speaking, traditional law students do not have (full-time jobs, families, mortgages, etc.) presents special challenges for both our students and BSL. We will work together to overcome those challenges.”
“Affordable and Accessible” legal education
John Hugh Locke’s vision for Birmingham School of Law is “Making quality legal education affordable and accessible for everyone!” This vision is important because there are many people in need of representation and knowledge about our legal system, especially in Alabama.
Many of the students who attend the Saturday program come from rural areas across the state of Alabama, where there is the greatest need for legal representation. After they complete their degrees, many of them return home and bring legal aid to their communities, thus ensuring equal access to justice – an essential principle in our democratic society.
Scott Garrett states, “We are in a position to develop our mission to provide quality, low-cost legal education to our students and to provide confident, capable attorneys to the Alabama legal community, especially to the rural areas in need of more lawyers.”
Birmingham School of Law makes your journey through a legal education more accessible and affordable than anywhere else. The Saturday program is designed for those who have other obligations that cannot be put aside to pursue a degree. In addition to the convenience of a weekend program, the Birmingham School of Law student body forms a network of support that helps everyone succeed. Read the testimonials of past alumni and see for yourself.
Birmingham School of Law is a law school that provides a unique learning experience and an affordable quality legal education. BSL has a diverse student body of approximately 350 students from across the State of Alabama and the Southeast. Many different undergraduate majors are represented as there is no “correct” pre-law major. Contact us today to learn more about enrollment options.