Cynthia von Schlichten has been practicing law for more than a decade. A lifelong animal rights advocate, she completed an LL.M. in Animal Law from Lewis & Clark Law School’s Center for Animal Law Studies in 2022.
In 2023, she taught an innovative online course in Nonprofit Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School for lawyers wanting to work for animal law nonprofits and non-lawyers taking on leadership roles.
Below is an excerpt from an interview completed earlier this year as she shares about her experience with remote learning to further her career.
What is it like doing an LL.M. program online?
I really loved the online format. One might think that you would feel isolated, but Lewis & Clark Law School does a great job of making online students feel like they are really part of its community. The one-on-one engagement with professors and classmates really helps feel connected. In addition, the online tools are very easy to navigate, so you don’t have to be tech genius to learn online.
Why did you choose an online LL.M. route versus in person?
I work full time and live 3,000 miles from campus. Doing the program online made it possible from a geographic standpoint and gave me the flexibility I needed to do the program alongside my professional obligations.
Thoughts about your experience?
I am so grateful that the online option for this program exists. Lewis & Clark Law School is the best of the best when it comes to animal law, and the online option made it made possible for me to learn from them.
Advice to anyone considering an online LL.M.?
I think that if you have a real passion for the subject matter of any LL.M. you pursue and are willing to make the commitment to your studies, go for it. In most cases, I believe it will be manageable to have a career while pursuing an LL.M. online, and the benefits of having that experience and degree will make it well worth the effort.
With teaching on online course, how did you bring your previous experiences to the online classroom?
The professors that resonated the most with me were the ones who were really engaged throughout the whole semester. Since the learning in this program is asynchronous, it is especially important to reach out to students directly; let them know that you are live and in person on this learning journey. I use that approach in my teaching.
For more personal accounts of online LL.M. programs, read the article in the 2025 Spring issue of The National Jurist.
