Can the Law School Succeed? A Proposal

Abstract

The crisis of the university has finally affected the law school. Its symptoms are evident to all: the growing disaffection among students with traditional teaching methods; the increasing ambivalence of younger faculty and students about the value of studying the law; the spreading boredom in law classes; the escalating protests by students over school issues. To comprehend the sources of the problems, it is necessary to view the law school in its societal context. Law schools have served a definite channeling function in society. Their role has been to train "legal professionals," preparing students for entrance into the corporate law firm and the managerial elite. Nothing better illustrates the bankruptcy of legal education than the pride with which the law school has accepted such an inherently limited role.