The Massachusetts Bar has just released a report advocating for increased practical skills training for law students.

Among several sweeping changes that the Task Force suggests, one, the “Reinventing of the Third Year” is certain to create plenty of opportunities for discourse and controversy:

“In response to these recruiting realities,[underemployment of recent graduates], the subcommittee sought to identify ways to seize upon the third year of
law school as the last best chance, prior to licensure, to expose students to the broad variety of job-related tasks they are likely to encounter in today’s job market and in modern legal practice. While such experiences will not guarantee a law graduate a job, it is the belief of the task force that by ensuring a higher level of work experience, graduates will best position themselves to grapple with the reality of more competitive recruitment and will begin to change the perception employers have about new lawyers being a drain on resources.” p.5

For the full report, see, the “Report of the Task Force on Law, the Economy and Underemployment.”