Northwestern University School of Law announced plans last week to offer students the opportunity to finish law school in two years instead of the traditional three. The new program has postured itself as an unprecedented alternative to other top-tier law schools.
With classes scheduled to begin in 2009, Northwestern Law will be the first and only top-tier law school to offer an accelerated JD program in addition to the already established three-year program. The new plan, known as Plan 2008, will require the same number of credits as the regular program, but in a compressed five-semester span. Not only will this eliminate the third year that many students complain can be repetitive, but it will also add components that teach business and practical knowledge, hoping that lawyers will better understand their clients.
"The idea is to provide these students with a skill set above the traditional legal analysis," said David Van Zandt, dean of Northwestern's law school. "This is just one more way that our graduates can be better prepared for the real world out there where you have to know a lot more than just law."
The plan requires students to enroll in two new courses, one covering quantitative analysis such as accounting, finance, and statistics, and the other focusing on social networking and teamwork. A third required, but already existing, class teaches strategic decision-making and how to understand strategies pursued by their clients and organizations.
Van Zandt explained that because this program will be competitive, they plan on accepting no more than 40 applicants each year, and a minimum of two years of post-graduate, full-time work experience is a must.
The initiative has drawn some criticism from the administration of other law schools, claiming that such a drastic change will hurt the quality of education. But the faculty and students at Northwestern are generally supportive, suggesting the new program may offer an alternative to law students eager to begin their careers.
Professor John Elson, member of the Northwestern faculty since 1976, laid out several reasons why some in the law community might disagree with the plan. "Whether the coursework will be of the same quality in the two-year program will depend on how the program is implemented," Elson said.
With students taking more credits each semester they will have less time to dedicate to learning the subject matter of each course. He also explained that since clinics and other experimental learning courses that teach practical skills require more time and effort from students, two-year students are less likely to take advantage of those opportunities that prepare them for law practice. Also, most law students use their two summers to work in legal-related jobs, and although two-year students will already have previous years of work experience, they will have only one summer during law school for more work opportunities.
"All that being said, the cost of a legal education in ABA-approved law schools is far too high, so I favor experiments such as this one, which would reduce somewhat the cost of a law degree by allowing students to begin work one year earlier," said Elson.
With students spending one less year at the law school, many are wondering whether tuition will also be less. The tuition for the 2007-08 academic year is now $42,672 but Dean Van Zandt said that the administration has not yet decided whether that figure will change significantly in the new program.
"We haven't set the tuition yet, but our general philosophy is to price by the degree," Van Zandt said. "On the other hand, we will still discuss other options that could possibly change that."
Students like William Benitez, an executive board member of Northwestern's JD-MBA Association, support the program. Back in 2002, the administration changed the JD-MBA program from four years to three years, and the result was overwhelmingly positive. They expect the accelerated JD program to be similarly successful.
"As long as the school maintains the quality of the applicants and ensures that students have sufficient experience and career focus, this program will thrive," Benitez said.
"We have been fine-tuning our model for the last 10 years," said Van Zandt. "And now we are confident that we have a plan to maximize our graduates' success in an environment in which law penetrates business and other organizations in unprecedented ways."
sarasuleiman@northwestern.edu
Be the first to comment on this article!