THE SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH OF LEGAL EDUCATION

I remember when, in law school, we were admonished to be philosopher-lawyers, economist-lawyers, social-science lawyers, etc. That, if the only thing you know is the law, you do not know the law at all. But now, in getting a "legal education," one will not have to know very much law, and certainly not know anything else. We live in sad times for legal education (not sure we should continue to call it "education"), as law schools jettison nurturing intellectual life and, in name of promoting "practice-readiness," devolve from professional schools to trade schools. Sad times for the legal profession. It is sad to see a profession lose its collective mind. Will the elite schools be able to hold out against this creeping brain cancer? One can only hope.

Lawyers Call for Drastic Change in Educating New Lawyers BY ETHAN BRONNER A task force says it is time for radical changes in the regulation of law schools, including cutting curriculums, requiring on-the-ground training and licensing legal technicians.