ASU Law offers students new part-time evening option

Students who want to earn a law degree but cannot attend classes full time during the day may now take advantage of a new, part-time evening option being offered by the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

This is the first time ASU Law has offered a part-time evening option as part of its Juris Doctor (JD) program. The new option was launched in response to students who said they wanted more flexibility to balance school with work and other life demands. This option is an extension of ASU Law’s JD program with select daytime courses that will be offered during weekday evenings. The same admissions standards apply to full-time and part-time students.

“I firmly believe a full-time commitment to law school is the best course for our students,” said ASU Law Dean Douglas Sylvester. “But we also recognize that going to law school full time isn’t possible for everyone. As a result, we created this new option for students who want to enroll part time at a top law school in Arizona.”

The part-time evening option is slated to begin in fall 2016 at the Arizona Center for Law and Society — the new home of ASU Law in downtown Phoenix. The evening classes are also open to all full-time ASU Law JD students. While full-time students graduate in three years, it is anticipated that part-time students will graduate in five years. Initially, the part-time option will be available to a maximum of 20 students, but that could expand based on student interest.

ASU alumnus Richard Taylor (JD ’73) said he certainly could have used a part-time option when he studied at ASU Law. Now operating his own law firm, Taylor & Associates, Taylor attended the school for one year before being asked to leave because he was also working full time as a cab driver. He was trying to provide for his young family.

After a year, he was reinstated to the law school and tried to work part time, but he simply couldn’t make ends meet, so he quietly went back to work full time. Taylor drove a cab from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., caught a few hours of sleep and then went to class all day.

“I had to work full time and go to law school full time. It was quite a burden,” Taylor said. “Having a part-time, evening option back then would have been invaluable to me. I’m very pleased that ASU Law is making these changes.”

Please email asulaw.evening@asu.edu if you are interested in the part-time evening option. For more about the school — which is ranked No. 26 nationally by U.S. News & World Report, and which ranks No. 14 in the nation for placing graduates in real lawyer jobs — visit law.asu.edu.