INDIANAPOLIS— Abby Strehle is a Greenwood nurse and mother with a side interest— the law.
“It was always lingering in the background,” said Strehle of the law.
Strehle could not give up evenings for a traditional law school, so instead, she attended law school online through Purdue Global.
“It was logistically the only option for me,” said Strehle.
After years of hard work, Strehle took the Indiana bar exam in February and passed.
“It was relief and joy,” said Strehle. “I just wanted to pass so bad because there’s so much writing you just don’t absolutely know you’re going to pass.”
New waiver system opens the door for online law schools
Abby Strehle is making history by becoming one of the first graduates to take the Indiana bar under a new waiver system that opens the door to online law schools.
The Indiana Supreme Court issued a ruling in February 2024 that allows graduates of online law schools not accredited by the American Bar Association to take the Indiana Bar exam as soon as they graduate.
The expansion of online law school is a solution to the state’s growing attorney shortage, one that is gaining traction.
It’s a problem WRTV Investigates exposed last year, one that is hurting our criminal justice system.
All five Purdue Global Law School graduates passed on the first attempt at the Indiana bar exam.
"I think that all of our graduates passing on the first try shows online law school can prepare students just as well as traditional law schools for a third of the cost and more access,” said Martin Pritikin, Dean of Purdue Global Law School.
For the first time, Purdue Global graduates participated in a new attorney swearing-in ceremony in Indianapolis on May 20.
Nearly half, 46%, of Purdue Global’s students in Indiana live in rural areas or small towns—the areas hardest hit by the lawyer shortage.
Many online law students live far away from Indiana’s brick and mortar law schools—IU McKinney in Indianapolis, IU Maurer in Bloomington and Notre Dame in South Bend.
"One of the best ways to get lawyers into rural areas is to make it easier for people who already live in those areas to stay where they are while going to law school,” said Pritikin.
Purdue Global has seen an uptick in Indiana enrollment as a result of the new waiver system.
More than half of Indiana’s counties are considered a legal desert, which is when a county has less than 1 lawyer for every 1,000 residents.
Indiana State Bar Association says members split on online law school
However, the Indiana State Bar Association says its members are split on the idea of fully online law schools.
“I think most would agree it’s a better experience if you can go away to a brick and mortar law school, but we certainly realize the upside of having a fully online school,” said Joe Skeel, executive director at the Indiana State Bar Association. “Our members would differ on whether it’s the best way to get a law degree.”
The Indiana State Bar Association is a voluntary association for lawyers in Indiana that focuses on training and education.Unlike some other states, it is not involved in attorney discipline.
The Indiana State Bar Association just issued this report on the attorney shortage, and it focuses on other solutions, like launching a rural entrepreneurial program.
“This will train people on how to open and run and sustain a successful law practice in a rural community,” said Skeel. “That is the first thing on our to-do list."
The Indiana State Bar Association plans to launch the program in early 2026 with a dozen participants.
“Volume discount”: Prosecutor explains impact of attorney shortage
Monroe County prosecutor Erika Oliphant is hesitant about online law school as a solution to the state’s attorney shortage.
“I do think we have to be careful because attorneys have a lot of trust and responsibility to their clients,” said Oliphant.
State lawmakers filed several pieces of legislation that would have provided funding for the attorney shortage, House Bill 1049 and House Bill 1006, but the legislature stripped the funding portion from the bills.
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Oliphant says counties need to fully fund prosecutor offices.
“Nobody likes that this job costs so much, but the justice system is very expensive,” said Oliphant.
In Howard County, prosecutors dismissed charges in the 2006 murder case of Chad Rouse, citing a “staffing crisis.”
WRTV Investigates asked Oliphant if she might also have to dismiss a murder case, and she said no.
“A lot of cases end up getting a volume discount,” said Oliphant. “A lot of cases get dismissed pursuant to plea agreement. It saves us time and attention to do that, but I don't aways think it's the best thing to do.”
She expects changes to Indiana’s property tax law will make things even worse.
“Now not only are we not getting the supplemental funding we were hoping to get, so that we could raise deputy prosecutor pay, but now the counties have less revenue expected to fund our offices,” said Oliphant. “I think it’s going to be really tough. I think it’s going to make the problem worse.”
Oliphant says another solution to the attorney shortage is making law school more affordable and less time-consuming.
“I don’t necessarily think that 3 years has to be the magic number for law school maybe it could be a year and a half or maybe 2 years,” said Oliphant. “If we make sure the students are focused on the more practical areas of law versus the theoretical stuff, we could get them through faster.”
Purdue Global graduate ready to practice law in Indiana
Abby Strehle was not aware of the attorney shortage, but she’s happy online law school helped her be part of the solution.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Strehle.
She plans to practice healthcare law and use her expertise in nursing to help families with legal matters.
While most law school graduates carry more than $100,000 in debt, Strehle has only $30,000.
"My goal is to get that paid off in the first year of practicing, and I think it's doable," said Strehle.
You can see our coverage on the state’s attorney shortage HERE.
