It only took Michael Crumby three years to graduate cum laude from Chapman University, where he also was a track star. He could have gone to any law school in Southern California. But for Crumby, LMU Loyola Law School’s Hybrid JD Evening program was “the ideal option.”
“When I got the offer from Loyola Law School, it really stood out to me as being flexible,” he said. “It allows me to stay home and save money and even keep my job. I’m really happy with my choice.”
Students in the Hybrid JD Evening program come to the law school’s Frank Gehry-designed campus in downtown Los Angeles for classes just on Monday evenings, and they take classes online on Wednesday evenings.
That structure means Crumby only needs to make the nearly two-hour commute from his home in Beaumont in the Inland Empire just one night a week. He often uses those hours to listen to supplementary audio lectures related to his classes that the school makes available to students.
Since classes are only two nights a week, he can continue in his part-time job with Nike, including working in several of the shoe giant’s stores and volunteering in its community ambassador program. Crumby has worked for Nike for four years, and he hopes to continue with the company.
Once he graduates in 2027, Crumby said he wants to work for a law firm that handles business and corporate matters so that he can develop the skills necessary to become an in-house lawyer.
“My goal is to use my Loyola law degree someday to move to Beaverton, Oregon, and work for Nike in legal affairs,” he said.
While Crumby described Loyola’s Hybrid JD Evening program as “the most rational choice” for him, it also turned out to be beneficial when tragedy struck his family. The month before he started classes in August, his father was diagnosed with cancer. He died in January.
“Now it’s just my mom and I at home. I’m happy I chose Loyola because I’m able to stay at home when my family needs me the most.”
Loyola’s evening class schedule helped him “not just stay in law school, but still thrive and do well academically,” he said.
More than just the program’s flexibility made a difference for him during that difficult period. Crumby’s classmates and professors also were very supportive. “It was hard. I did face some challenges of course, but I was still able to kind of persevere through it.”
He added that the professors go out of their way to help and support all the students. “They have very flexible office hours for us, and they work with us,” he said. “If we have any questions, they’re able to talk to us and help us figure out the answers.”
And when he had a serious problem, they “definitely were able to help me out.”
For students looking to balance a law degree with a demanding career, Loyola’s Hybrid JD Evening Program provides the best of both worlds: a top-tier legal education without sacrificing professional or personal aspirations.
The priority application deadline for the Hybrid JD Evening Program is April 15. Learn more and apply.
