Recent articles in law journals as well as non-legal newspapers have focused on the decrease in law school admissions, as well as the decrease in the number of law related jobs requiring bar admission. The trend in these articles has been to detail the causes of these decreases and outline what is wrong with law schools in the US. In a recent article in US News and World Reports, Vincent Rougeau, dean of Boston College Law School, looks at this issue from the perspective of ways to fix law school.
Rougeau acknowledges the issues affecting law schools today: debt, decrease in entry-level positions, lower salaries and world-wide economic conditions. Despite these arguments against getting a law degree, Rougeau argues that it still makes sense to go to law school and the time has come for law schools to change and that schools can positively meet these challenges.
The first alternative Rougeau offers is for schools to create more partnerships with employers to enable law students to transition into practice; the alternative he cites is an apprenticeship such as a medical residency. A practice common elsewhere, this method would give law school graduates a paid position and allow for training and learning.
Examining academic programs, Rougeau argues for programs such as legal clinics and other opportunities that would allow for actual preparation for working as a lawyer. These programs would be offered as part of the three year law school curriculum and participation would be monitored and part of the academic program of students. The ultimate goal, according to Rougeau would be hands-on learning and skills training.
Many students come into our Kaplan LSAT courses with the expectation that after they have scored high on the LSAT and received a law degree, they will be earning six figures or better. We try to inform these students about current trends in the industry and Rougeau argues that informing students about the realities of the job market and salary range should be part of a partnership between pre-law advisors, the Association of American Law Schools and the American Bar Association. In addition, this partnership should fully advise students about what to expect in law school and after graduation.
Rougeau’s last suggestion is to have law schools expand their curriculum to better prepare students to be knowledgeable about and practice in the global economy. In this way, he says, US law schools add to their value by preparing students for traditional practice as well as practice beyond our borders.
Arguing that American legal education is at a critical moment, Rougeau stresses that these changes will allow American law schools to remain the leader in providing quality legal education.
You can view the article in its entirety here.
