Both private and public law schools have been
inexorably raising their tuition and costs over the years. In 2012, total costs
for private law schools averaged about $40,000 compared to $23,000 in 2001. For
public law schools, the same period has seen an increase to $23,600 from
$8,500. These soaring costs have taken place during a two decade long
contraction in the market for lawyers.
If employed, over half of recent law graduates are
working in low paying jobs, unrelated to the legal profession. Since 90% of law
students must finance tuition through loans, the lack of a successful career
can be disastrous. Coincidentally, in 2012, only 30,000 graduates applied to
law schools - 20 percent less than 2011 and 38 percent less than 2010. BS/BA
graduates looking for postgraduate degrees and professions have seen the statistics.
In fact, the viability of the present legal
educational system has come into question. These discussions have been directed
at both the costs and the relevancy of the skills taught and the needs of the
marketplace. A Juris Doctor (JD) degree and the right to sit for the bar exam
requires seven years: four-years of college and three years - six semesters -
of instruction at an American Bar Association (ABA) approved law school.
Until 2004, the ABA had rather detailed outlines
for subject and even minutes of instruction over the three years – L1, L2 and
L3. However, for 1L, most law schools follow a similar required curriculum
that includes basic courses as an overview of the broad study of law. After the
first year, 2L students pursue specific fields of study: administrative law,
admiralty law, corporate law, intellectual property law, international law, tax
law and others. An independent study project that requires a paper for credit
is included in 2L or 3L.
Programs of less than three-years have been
proposed to allow graduates an extra year to work and lower costs. Since 2004,
a few law schools have introduced degree programs that shorten the three-year
requirement. These accelerated
plans are classified either as "3+3 JD programs" or as
"2-year JD programs.” In a 3+3 JD program, after a period of six years, students
are awarded both BA/BS and JD degrees following program completion.
About 20 law schools presently offer the six-year
option; however, programs are often limited to certain areas of specialization.
Columbia Law School in NYC offers a BA/JD degree through its accelerated
interdisciplinary education (AILE) program offered in collaboration with
various universities around the U.S. This six-year program can save costs and
provides faster access to the job market.
Even fewer law schools offer 2-year JD programs. A
program
at Northwestern University School of Law in Illinois begins in the summer term
and then follows a normal two-year program. Enrollment requires two years of
employment experience. Although the degree is completed one year earlier, the
total course work remains unchanged as does the cost relative to their 3-year
program.
Offering both a decrease in overall tuition costs
and an additional year for employment, the 3+3 program would appear the best
deal. However, it means a commitment to the legal profession and possibly a
specialization in the first year of college. The 2-year JD plan provides only
the year of extra employment and no cost savings.
A proposed
alternative, not yet available, would have both advantages with no
restrictions. This program would involve four semesters, 2 years, of formal law
school followed by a one year “apprenticeship” before awarding of a degree and
admittance to the bar exam. Presumably, graduates would learn more in their
last year by working in the legal services sector.
Jonathan Strawberry is a freelancer who concentrates
on law, politics, education, professional training, employment trends and other
relevant issues. Law is definitely an honorable profession; view an attorney who understands and wishes to
preserve this fact.
