法学院还有没有未来

    塔玛纳哈认为，美国律师协会（American Bar Association）的评审机制过度鼓励了法学院的“学术模式”。在这种模式下，薪水可观的教授很少带课，从而可以腾出时间撰写法律学术文章或者开展研究。

    塔玛纳哈指出，这一模式对顶级院校而言或许行之有效，但是对那些准备担任公共服务、法律援助及其他同类律师职位的学生而言，费用就太过昂贵了。

    “法学臃肿”有解药吗？

    塔玛纳哈表示，方法之一便是让教授在每学年带更多的课，从而降低法学院的工资预算。其他院系则可更多地起用兼职教授，同时提供两年制的法律学位，以此削减学生的学费总额。

    一些享有盛名的法学院已经开始瞄准第三学年，把它作为改革目标。纽约大学法学院（New York University's School of Law）便是其中之一，该院在今年10月通过决议，允许学生在三年级时赴海外进修，或者专攻某一专门领域，比如环境法，或者反垄断法。其他一些优秀学生也可选择专攻专利法、税法等专门领域。

    华盛顿与李大学法学院（Washington and Lee Law School）采取的对策则是修订了三年级的规划，让学生可以进入校内法律诊所或者校外单位实习。斯坦福法学院（Stanford Law School）也放宽了三年级的课程限制，允许学生获取该院系与其他大学院系的联合学位。

    不过，麦肯锡认为，起用兼任教授（通常为执业律师）教授指定课时的课程能让学生同时获得学习专业知识和降低学习成本的好处。他表示，兼职教授“没有时间投入长期性的规划”。

    麦肯锡在学报文章中概述的另一种选择则是仿效西点军校（West Point）等美国军事院校的方式建设法学院。他说，学生可以在法学院校接受重点文科课程的本科教育，同时侧重于法律实践方面的准备。

    “要让现有的很多法学院采用这一措施，”他承认，“应该不太可能。这大概比较适合新开的院校。”

    日益下降的兴趣，惊慌不安的申请人

    随着部分法学院开始考虑或实行新的模式，学生对法学院的态度也愈发不安。法学院入学委员会（Law School Admissions Council）于11月发布的数据显示，2012年10月参加法学院入学考试的人数较前一年下降了16.4%，创下了1999年以来的最低水平。

    教育与职业培训服务机构卡普兰考试培训学校（Kaplan Test Prep）11月对法学院招生办人员进行的一项调查显示，迄今为止，已有51%的法学院缩减了入学新生的班级规模。其中有三分之二表示，这么做是因为法律方向的就业市场疲软，还有更多的学校预期会在未来再次缩减班级规模。

    Tamanaha says that the American Bar Association accreditation system has excessively encouraged a "scholarly model" where handsomely paid professors teach few courses so they have time to write law journal articles or conduct research.

    That model may work well for top-tier schools but, Tamanaha argues, it's too expensive for students preparing for careers in public service, pro bono, or similar attorney positions.

    Can the legal fat be trimmed?

    One solution, he says, is for professors to teach more courses each academic year to cut back on law school salary budgets. Other schools could rely more on part-time professors and offer two-year degrees to shave the overall tuition bill.

    Several prestigious law schools have targeted the third year for overhaul, including New York University's School of Law which, in October, agreed to open the third year of study to international experience, or work in a specialized area like environmental or antitrust law. Another cadre of students could choose to focus on specialties like patent or tax law.

    Washington and Lee Law School adopted a revamped third year approach, so students can work at law clinics or internships at outside locations. Stanford Law School also broadened its third-year curriculum for students to earn joint degrees with other university departments.

    McEntee, however, says that by using adjunct professors, who are typically practicing attorneys, teaching a course over a defined period of time, students could get the benefit of expertise and lower costs. Adjunct professors "don't have the time to commit to something long-term," he says.

    Another alternative, he outlines in his journal article, would be to develop law schools modeled after American military academies such as West Point. Students would receive a core liberal arts undergraduate education with a focus on preparing for law practice, says McEntee.

    "It’s unlikely," he concedes, "that many existing law schools would adopt this practice. It would probably work better for new schools."

    Diminishing interest, skittish applicants

    As some law schools consider or adopt new models, students grow increasingly skittish about law school. The number taking the law school admissions test in October 2012 was down by 16.4% from the previous year, hitting its lowest level since 1999, according to figures from the Law School Admissions Council released in November.

    So far, 51% of law schools have cut the size of their entering classes, according to a November survey of law school admissions officers by Kaplan Test Prep, the education and career services provider. Two-thirds said they did so because of a weak legal job market, and more schools anticipate trimming back again in the future.