Why does it take three years to get a law degree? Why don’t law schools do their students a favor by dropping the third year altogether, or at least making it entirely optional?
Bonus link: Teach blogging in law school?
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prior probability 
If they did make it optional who would actually choose that option? What would be the benefit of choosing
option?
I wouldn’t say get rid of it or make it optional. But maybe alter what the third year of law school looks like. As opposed to how it is now where students are still sitting in classrooms taking classes. I have always thought that future lawyers would be way better off if after their second year, it would be required for a J.D. candidate to have to have a year of internship/mentoring before being granted their degree and allowed to sit for the bar exam. This would give students a full year of real life practical learning. Just a thought. I know President Obama has suggested the third year of law school is somewhat pointless and to a point I agree. But still think a third year, be it not in a classroom, should be required.
To JC: I really like your internship/apprenticeship idea
To Prof’s Wife: you are right to suggest that many law students would “opt-out” of the third year of law school if the third year were made optional, but so what? Let each student weigh the marginal benefit of an extra year of law school against its marginal cost … law schools would then have a strong incentive to reduce the cost of the third year or increase its benefits or both!!!
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