Joshua Brackett doesn’t do anything halfway. He works full-time in healthcare compliance at one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country, co-runs a company with his wife, and is dad to three adopted teens with complex health needs. On top of that, he’s a published author and now adding “law student” to his résumé.
Brackett, who lives and works in Arizona, is enrolled in Ohio Northern University’s newly accredited Online JD program — the only law school he applied to. “I’m either getting into ONU Law or I’m not going to become a lawyer,” he says. “It’s one of the best decisions I ever made.”
He’s one of only a dozen people in the U.S. with his specific expertise – and while he’s already an expert in his field — law school is about leveling up. “I have influence in my world,” he says. “But I want to expand that. The healthcare system is broken. I want to help shape policy, offer real solutions, and drive change.”
The path hasn’t been easy. “That first semester was the hardest time of my life — and I’ve done hard things,” Brackett admits. But ONU’s supportive faculty and community made the difference. “I’m not just a number. My professors care and my classmates and I are walking in the trenches together.”
ONU Law’s fully online, ABA-accredited JD program is designed for driven professionals like Brackett — people balancing demanding careers, families, and personal missions. “Online doesn’t mean easy,” says Assistant Dean of Online Education, Allison Mittendorf. “ONU’s online JD students have the same rigorous law school experience as our residential students. Additionally, our online JD students, like Josh, are usually balancing more outside responsibilities in addition to their coursework.”
While the program is rigorous, it’s also adaptable – designed to meet students wherever they are located.
Now fully immersed in his second year, Brackett is thriving — still driven, busy juggling multiple responsibilities, and still all-in. He’s proof that the right program, paired with a strong support system, and the drive to make a difference, make big goals attainable.