高校中法學院的未來令人堪憂

Students are opting out of the law school entrance exam in significant numbers as they confront a scarcity of law jobs and the prospect of staggering debt loads. While some law schools are trimming back class sizes and tinkering with curriculum, most are forging ahead, and some are even expanding.

決定不參加法學院入學考試的學生人數越來越可觀，因爲他們所面對的是法律類職位的短缺和身負沉重債務的未來。部分法學院正在精簡班級規模，修訂課程設置，但是大部分仍在繼續推行原有體制，一部分甚至還在擴張。

There is talk among law schools of teaching more practical skills, focusing on narrower, but enduring, legal specialties like bankruptcy, and even lopping off the third year of law school. But others are saying legal education's survival will come by way of radical new models like modular teaching, which would use part-time professors for defined periods, or lawyer academies, which are more like trade schools readying attorneys to practice immediately after graduating.

各大法學院內都流傳着一種觀點，認爲法律系應當教授更加實用的技能，側重那些覆蓋面較爲狹窄、但是經久不衰的法律課題，比如破產，甚至可以砍掉法律專業的第三個學年。但也有觀點認爲，法律教育要靠徹頭徹尾的新模式才能生存下去，比如採用模塊化教學，劃定課程時數，由兼職教授授課，或者開辦那種更像是職業學校的律師學院，培養一畢業就能馬上開始執業的律師。

These are two possibilities outlined in the current issue of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform, by Kyle McEntee and two co-authors from Law School Transparency, a group founded in 2009 to make the law school admissions process more open and job placement numbers clear.

本期《密歇根大學法律改革學報》（Michigan Journal of Law Reform）中概述了兩種可能性，文章的作者是凱爾•麥肯蒂以及兩名來自法律教育政策組織法學院透明度（Law School Transparency）的署名作者。這個組織成立於2009年，致力於提高法律系入學程序的公開度和就業數據的透明度。

"Right now, schools are dabbling in what to do, " says McEntee, "but the issue is already at crisis proportion. We have to start thinking about new options and new systems. Tinkering is not enough."

“目前，各大院校正在試水各種應對措施，”麥肯蒂說。“但是這個問題已經到了緊要關頭。我們得開始思考新的對策和新的體制。光靠修修補補是不夠的。”

So far, about half of the nation's 200 law schools are cutting back the size of their entering classes, and many are handing out more student financial aid, which effectively lowers tuition. But the powerful economic reality is that law schools are big business, with tuition high enough that students graduate with an average of more than $100, 000 each in debt.

迄今爲止，全美共200所法學院中，約半數正在縮減入學新生的班級規模，還有不少法學院在爲學生提供更多的經濟資助，以便有效地降低學生的學費負擔。然而眼下強大的經濟現實是，開設法學院可是筆大買賣。法學院的學生畢業時，每人平均要揹負10萬美元以上的債務，由此可見學費之高。

Salaries are a major factor, with some law professors at elite or large law schools earning in excess of $350, 000 to $400, 000 annually. These sums significantly outpace other legal remuneration, except for the 10% in the upper ranks at top law firms.

當中的一大因素是師資人員的薪水，在重點或大型法學院，部分法律教授的年薪在35萬到40萬美元以上。除了排名在前10%內的頂級法律機構外，這個金額遠超其他法律從業人員的薪資水平。

But law school deans insist, almost uniformly, that the tuition rates are worth it, arguing that the law degree will hold its value over a period of years. And few deans, also law professors themselves, want to meddle with a proven earning machine or trigger alumni wrath by devaluing the professional degree.

但是，法學院的院長們幾乎一致堅稱，法學院的學費價有所值，辯稱法律學位能夠保值數年之久。他們本身也兼任法律教授，當中很少有人願意幹預一臺成熟的盈利機器，或者不惜惹惱校友來讓本校的專業學位貶值。

"It's a powerful juggernaut that has momentum of its own, " says Brian Tamanaha, a Washington University School of Law professor and author of Failing Law Schools. Readily available student loans, lock-step accreditation processes, and national law school rankings also have helped create a one-size-fits-all law school system that does not suit the majority of students, he concludes.

“這是一種強大的主導力量，有它自身的動力存在，”布賴恩•塔瑪納哈表示。他是華盛頓大學法學院（Washington University School of Law）的教授，同時也是《失敗的法學院》（Failing Law Schools）一書的作者。他總結說，唾手可得的貸學金、固步自封的評審程序，還有全國法學院排名，都助長了這種一刀切式的法學院體制，而這種體制並不適合大多數的學生。

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.

塔瑪納哈認爲，美國律師協會（American Bar Association）的評審機制過度鼓勵了法學院的“學術模式”。在這種模式下，薪水可觀的教授很少帶課，從而可以騰出時間撰寫法律學術文章或者開展研究。

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.

塔瑪納哈指出，這一模式對頂級院校而言或許行之有效，但是對那些準備擔任公共服務、法律援助及其他同類律師職位的學生而言，費用就太過昂貴了。

Can the legal fat be trimmed?

“法學臃腫”有解藥嗎？

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.

塔瑪納哈表示，方法之一便是讓教授在每學年帶更多的課，從而降低法學院的工資預算。其他院系則可更多地起用兼職教授，同時提供兩年制的法律學位，以此削減學生的學費總額。

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.

一些享有盛名的法學院已經開始瞄準第三學年，把它作爲改革目標。紐約大學法學院（New York University's School of Law）便是其中之一，該院在今年10月通過決議，允許學生在三年級時赴海外進修，或者專攻某一專門領域，比如環境法，或者反壟斷法。其他一些優秀學生也可選擇專攻專利法、稅法等專門領域。

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.

華盛頓與李大學法學院（Washington and Lee Law School）採取的對策則是修訂了三年級的規劃，讓學生可以進入校內法律診所或者校外單位實習。斯坦福法學院（Stanford Law School）也放寬了三年級的課程限制，允許學生獲取該院系與其他大學院系的聯合學位。

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.

不過，麥肯錫認爲，起用兼任教授（通常爲執業律師）教授指定課時的課程能讓學生同時獲得學習專業知識和降低學習成本的好處。他表示，兼職教授“沒有時間投入長期性的規劃”。

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.

麥肯錫在學報文章中概述的另一種選擇則是仿效西點軍校（West Point）等美國軍事院校的方式建設法學院。他說，學生可以在法學院校接受重點文科課程的本科教育，同時側重於法律實踐方面的準備。

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

“要讓現有的很多法學院採用這一措施，”他承認，“應該不太可能。這大概比較適合新開的院校。”

Diminishing interest, skittish applicants

日益下降的興趣，驚慌不安的申請人

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.

隨着部分法學院開始考慮或實行新的模式，學生對法學院的態度也愈發不安。法學院入學委員會（Law School Admissions Council）於11月發佈的數據顯示，2012年10月參加法學院入學考試的人數較前一年下降了16.4%，創下了1999年以來的最低水平。

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.

教育與職業培訓服務機構卡普蘭考試培訓學校（Kaplan Test Prep）11月對法學院招生辦人員進行的一項調查顯示，迄今爲止，已有51%的法學院縮減了入學新生的班級規模。其中有三分之二表示，這麼做是因爲法律方向的就業市場疲軟，還有更多的學校預期會在未來再次縮減班級規模。

These law schools are following in the footsteps of the University of California Hastings College of Law, which announced last spring that it would reduce its admitted student pool by 20%. Hastings' dean, Frank Wu, noted at the time that there are "too many law schools and there are too many law students and we need to do something about that."

這些法學院正在追隨加利福尼亞大學哈斯汀法學院（University of California Hastings College of Law）的腳步——該學院於去年春季宣佈減招20%。院長吳華揚曾在當時表態稱，如今“法學院太多，法學生也太多，我們必須採取行動。”

Kaplan also found that 47% of law schools have increased the amount of financial aid they are giving to students for the current school year, a sign to Paul Campos, a University of Colorado law professor who writes the "Inside the Law School Scam" blog, that law schools are lowering their entry standards.

卡普蘭還發現，47%的法學院提高了本學年提供給學生的經濟資助金額。科羅拉多大學（University of Colorado）法律教授保羅•坎波斯曾經撰寫了《法學院騙局揭祕》系列博客（Inside the Law School Scam），他認爲，這預示着法學院正在降低自己的入學標準。

Campos, who tracks law school statistics, says the total number of law school applicants for the current academic year, is one-third lower than the number in the 2003-2004 academic year.

坎波斯長期追蹤法學院的統計數據，他表示，本學年申請法學院的總人數較2003-2004學年的申請人數減少了三分之一。

Law school enrollment is down by about 15% from 2010, which was a record high with nearly 52,500 students signing up for classes. This academic year, the number was 45,000 full- and part-time students, according to the ABA.

法學院就讀人數自2010年以近5.25萬人創下歷史高位以來，至今已經下降了約15%。據美國律師協會數據顯示，本學年的全日制及非全日制學生共計4.5萬人。

"This isn't sustainable," warns Campos. "There is a zealous faith in American culture that higher education always pays for itself, but it's like the subprime mortgage scandal without securitization. When people realize it's a worthless degree, the system is going to collapse."

“這樣是無法持續的，”坎波斯警告稱。“美國文化裏有種狂熱的信仰，認爲高等教育總能收回成本，但這就像沒有進行資產證券化的次貸危機。當人們意識到這個學位毫無價值時，整個體系就會崩潰。”

The legal field's problems have been growing for some time, according to a review of law school employment data from the National Association of Law Placement, which found that two out of three of the approximately 1.4 million law school graduates over the past 25 years have found full-time jobs requiring juris doctor degrees.

美國國家法律就業協會（National Association of Law Placement）的法學院就業數據回顧顯示，法律領域的狀況已經滋長了一段時日。這項回顧發現，過去25年裏的法學院畢業生共計近140萬人，其中有三分之二找到了需要法學博士學位的全職工作。

Even so, the ABA has provisionally approved the creation of even more law schools, including the University of California-Irvine School of Law and the University of Massachusetts Law School-Dartmouth, according to the bar association's website.

即便如此，美國律師協會仍然暫時批准了更多法學院的設立。該協會的官方網站顯示，其中包括加利福尼亞大學歐文分校法學院（University of California-Irvine School of Law）和麻省大學法學院達特茅斯分院（University of Massachusetts Law School-Dartmouth）。

Like it or not, law schools may have to up their game if they are going to overcome the objections of their own disgruntled graduates. Earlier this month, a judge in San Diego refused to dismiss a lawsuit by four Thomas Jefferson School of Law graduates who claimed they enrolled on the basis of misleading job placement data. The school will need to explain how it came up with its numbers.

不論情願與否，如果法學院想要壓服本校心懷不滿的畢業生髮起的抗議活動，就必須提升自己的表現。本月早些時候，聖地亞哥的一名法官拒絕駁回4名托馬斯傑弗遜法學院（Thomas Jefferson School of Law）畢業生的訴訟，他們訴稱自己是在就業數據的誤導下才就讀了該校。校方將需要就這些數據的出處做出解釋。