They’re businesspeople and health care professionals, educators and state legislators. Many have small children, aging parents, or volunteer commitments. These “weekend warriors” have a wide mix of life experiences, but they share a common objective: earning a law degree that works with their busy schedules and diverse geographic locations.

Loyola’s innovative Weekend JD program celebrates its fifth anniversary in fall 2021. U.S. News & World Report ranks Weekend JD the #7 part-time JD program in the country, making it the top part-time JD program in Chicago, the Midwest, and west of the Eastern Seaboard. And it’s opened the door for many who otherwise couldn’t have attended law school.

“There’s no way I could have enrolled in other part-time law programs, where you had to do it in the evenings,” says Amina Jaffer (JD ’20), who was a stay-at-home parent with four children and an active volunteer when she looked for a law school. “Loyola’s program was perfect because in-person classes were only every other weekend.” Jaffer is now an administrative attorney and account executive with NSN Employer Services, Inc., building a career around an interest in administrative law she discovered during law school.