LAW STUDENTS whine a lot. It's what they're trained to do. But if you hear a Law student in his third and final year complaining, "I'm so bored with class," "There's nothing good on daytime T.V." or "I'm so hung over," take pity -- not since purgatory has there been a worse use of time as the year "3L."
The third year of law school is little more than a seventh year of liberal arts education, albeit with electives that have something, somehow, to do with "the law." Another year of theoretically lofty thinking isn't itself bad. But taken at a time when most students already have offers for permanent -- and demanding -- employment, another year poking holes in century-old legal theory becomes quaint. When those students are really in need of practical writing, researching, finance and client-management experience, cursory lectures on vast bodies of law and garrulous, theory-addled seminars grow tiresome. And when students are charged north of $30,000 for their third-year experience -- while these students are approaching or surpassing 30 years old themselves -- then we have to wonder whether it's really the best use of our trainees' limited money and time.
Unfortunately, these aren't new concerns. In the 1970s, the American Bar Association's legal education panel recommended allowing two-year programs -
Read More
EDITORIAL: Honor the Future campaign’s success is still conditional
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoThe degree of alumni involvement in the Honor the Future campaign speaks to the importance of shared governance — student involvement in critical governance matters creates a culture of connection to and collaboration with the University that engenders a desire among alumni to support their alma mater.
DUTTENHOFER: U.Va. reaps the benefits of Charlottesville, but gives back scraps
By Lucy Duttenhofer | 4 days agoBehind the shadow of the University’s wealth and prestige, Charlottesville city schools are running out of space, staff and support.
CASTAGNO: Mandate media literacy courses to combat misinformation
By Conall Costagno | 6 days agoThe University has an obligation to ensure that it produces students who are able to objectively differentiate between credible and uncredible information.
