As even those candidates leaving school with a Juris Doctor degree from a top university are facing the same hurdles as many job-hunters in today’s competitive employment market, the high cost of a legal education, often as much as $180,000 for a three-year program, is scaring many aspiring attorneys away from the legal field.

There are alternatives, though, for obtaining a legal education and a J.D. degree. Online distance learning J.D. programs like that of Abraham Lincoln University allow for full-time employment even during sessions of continuous learning, with students able to watch lectures online or in the school’s Los Angeles classrooms, study on nights and weekends, and complete homework and exams remotely.

Working full-time while studying immediately lessens the cost of a legal education; most traditional, ABA law schools are structured so that full-time study is the only way to succeed, with students taking multiple classes at a time and spending enough hours in the classroom each day to ensure that most free time is taken up with studying. As a result, instead of working, most students take out loans and end up with much of their tuition cost remaining in debt as they enter the work force. The way ALU’s program is structured benefits the full-time professional, but that is not the only cost-saving measure.

In addition, ALU’s programs are but a fraction of the cost of a traditional law school, with tuition totaling $7,500 per year for a four year program. Zero-interest financing programs allow for easy payments; with these costs, and the ability to work during the period of study, students need not obtain the types of student loans that are so financially crippling to those recent graduates of traditional legal programs. When leaving school, ALU students have no balance remaining.

So, while the high cost of a legal education is scaring many candidates away, there are alternatives available. There’s no need to pay the high cost of traditional ABA school tuition, or to sacrifice full-time employment, in pursuit of your dreams.

To learn more about the programs available at Abraham Lincoln University, visit www.alu.edu.