‘Expanding access to justice': First five Purdue Global Law School students admitted to Indiana bar
The first five graduates from Purdue University Global Law School took their new attorney's oath Tuesday morning, marking a milestone for both the school and Indiana's legal system.
At the ceremony held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, the Indiana Supreme Court admitted 68 new attorneys, including the Purdue Global Law graduates.
The ceremony was attended by all five justices of the Indiana Supreme Court, as well as judges from the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts, the Indiana Court of Appeals, and the Indiana Tax Court.
The ceremony follows a July 2024 amendment to Indiana's Rules of Admission and Discipline Rule 13 that allowed graduates of non-American Bar Association accredited, Indiana-based online law schools to sit for the Indiana bar exam.
It was meant to address the state's justice gap in rural or other underserved areas.
This amendment made Purdue Global Law graduates eligible to sit for the bar exam upon graduation. At the time, California was the only other state that allowed such eligibility.
Indiana currently has a lawyer shortage. Indiana Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert Altice told the graduates Tuesday that out of 6.8 million Hoosiers, only 19,055 are lawyers.
'You are joining a very special group today,' Altice said. 'As less than 1% of our total population, I encourage you to think about a small specialized group you are.'
All five eligible Purdue Global Law graduates passed the February Indiana Bar Exam on their first attempt. According to Indiana Bar exam result data, Indiana's overall pass rate for first time takers is 63%. The graduates are:
Joud Elias
Lindley Jarrett
Jeff Kraft
Daniel Stahoviak
Abby Strehle
Strehle is a nurse practitioner, mother and now dual-licensed attorney in both Indiana and California. She attended Purdue for her undergraduate degree 26 years ago and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Indianapolis. Following that she completed her Master of Science and became a licensed Nurse Practitioner.
Strehle said she always had an interest in law so she returned to Purdue Global Law's fully online program. She completed her law degree in August 2023 while continuing to work in healthcare and raising her family in Bargersville, Indiana.
'I wasn't willing to give up my nights or time with my kids for a traditional law school,' she said.
Strehle, the owner and founder of Encompass Legal Services, now practices disability law in all 50 states. She said she wanted to take her experience in the medical field into the legal one.
'I've seen the other side,' she said. 'I know what people are going through when making either end-life decisions or something that disrupts their entire life.'
She said that her online law school experience was far from easy but she was able to make connections and even some close friends online. She said the courses are set up in similar formats including course work, weekly zoom meetings and breakout sessions.
Strehel said the Indiana Supreme Court amendment that created the path for Purdue Global Law graduates to become eligible for the bar exam means everything to her.
'When I applied to Purdue Global, I only hoped that being licensed in Indiana would be a thing,' she said. 'The fact that I can be licensed in Indiana allows me to really do what I want to do and the reason why I did what I wanted.'
Dean of Purdue Global Law School, Martin Pritikin called the moment 'a turning point' for access to justice. Pritikin was a professor and administrator of a traditional law school for 12 years before he became interested in online education.
Purdue Global Law — previously called Concord Law School — was founded in 1998 and was one of the nation's first fully online law schools. Pritikin said the school operates at one-third of the cost of traditional programs and is designed for nontraditional students – working professionals or others who need flexibility.
'Our typical student is not someone who went straight from high school to college to law school,' he said. 'Even though they may be new lawyers they are not new to the workforce.'
Pritikin said the curriculum at Purdue Global is as 'rigorous' as anything someone would get at a traditional law school. He said that people think the school is easy because it's online, but that's not the case.
Pritikin said the Indiana Supreme Court 'took a chance' on Purdue Global, and hopes the school is a big part of solving the access to justice crisis. He noted more than half of the students enrolling are not from Indianapolis — they are from rural, small and underserved areas.
The school currently has 78 Indiana-based students enrolled — about 10% of total enrollment.
'It's the best way to get more lawyers in underserved areas and to make it easier for people in those areas to stay where they are to attend law school.'
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