American Bar Association changes instructional hours requirements

Third year of law school may be done away with

By By John Jordan (Contact)

Thursday, September 1, 2005

Recent changes made by the American Bar Association have increased the amount of instructional hours required for law students to graduate. Meanwhile, some critics are calling for the abolishment of the third year of law school.

But students at the University of Kansas say their final year of law school is essential for finding jobs and gaining work experience.

Kate Allen, 2002 graduate and a KU alumna, said she worked the hardest during her third year of law school. She worked at a firm in Overland Park, took diverse classes to focus on different areas of law and tried to raise her grade point average.

A paper published by two California law professors criticized the third year of law school. The following survey data compare the amount of time that first- and third-year law students study per week.

Amount of time First-year student Third-year student

Fewer than 20 hours 11.2% 66.9%

20-29 hours 30.8% 22.9%

30-39 hours 32.7% 6.1%

40-49 hours 18.5% 3.5%

50 or more 7.0% 1.9%

Source: “The Happy Charade: An Empirical Examination of the Third Year of Law School”

She said her final year of school was challenging as she was learning the ropes of real-world trial work — something students can’t learn in class.

“Learning the ABC’s doesn’t teach you how to speak,” Allen said.

A paper published in 2002 by two California law professors concluded that many students viewed the last year of law school as irrelevant. The study used surveys of 1,000 law students.

The study recommended turning law school into a two-year academic program with an additional year of specialized training.

But law school administrators at the University say they don’t plan on changing the school’s program to two years of class work any time soon.

Todd Rogers, career services director for the school, said the third year was both traditional and effective.

“Students wouldn’t have the depth of experience not having three years of school and two summers of experience,” Rogers said.

He said that spreading classes over three years of course work gave them the opportunity to get work experience in the summer. These working experiences are as important to potential employers as class work, Rogers said.

The surveys also found that third-year law students study less and are less prepared. Sixty-seven percent of third-year students said they studied 20 hours or less a week, compared with 11 percent of first-year students. The surveys also found that third-year students came to class with a lower proportion of assigned readings completed.

Third-year students know how to study more efficiently than first-year students, said Michael Dipasquale, third-year law student from San Diego, Calif.

“It used to take three hours to read eight pages, but now I can do it in 45 minutes,” he said.

Dipasquale said he was focusing more on social activities than he had in the past. He’s going out to bars more often and spending time playing intramural sports.

Third-year students know what they have to do for school and work and how to plan around that, he said.

Case Collard said he was using his third year to get ready for the real world. He’s working at a legal aid clinic to gain experience. The third-year law student from Leavenworth is applying for a federal clerkship — a process that only occurs in the fall of the third year.

However, Collard said, his class schedule is easier this semester. He’s taking only one traditional law class, which will have one only one test, and he doesn’t have class on Fridays.

— Edited by Tricia Masenthin

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