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.
决定不参加法学院入学考试的学生人数越来越可观，因为他们所面对的是法律类职位的短缺和身负沉重债务的未来。部分法学院正在精简班级规模，修订课程设置，但是大部分仍在继续推行原有体制，一部分甚至还在扩张。
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.
各大法学院内都流传着一种观点，认为法律系应当教授更加实用的技能，侧重那些覆盖面较为狭窄、但是经久不衰的法律课题，比如破产，甚至可以砍掉法律专业的第三个学年。但也有观点认为，法律教育要靠彻头彻尾的新模式才能生存下去，比如采用模块化教学，划定课程时数，由兼职教授授课，或者开办那种更像是职业学校的律师学院，培养一毕业就能马上开始执业的律师。
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《密歇根大学法律改革学报》（Michigan Journal of Law Reform）中概述了两种可能性，文章的作者是凯尔•麦肯蒂以及两名来自法律教育政策组织法学院透明度（Law School Transparency）的署名作者。这个组织成立于2009年，致力于提高法律系入学程序的公开度和就业数据的透明度。
"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，各大院校正在试水各种应对措施，”麦肯蒂说。“但是这个问题已经到了紧要关头。我们得开始思考新的对策和新的体制。光靠修修补补是不够的。”
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.
迄今为止，全美共200所法学院中，约半数正在缩减入学新生的班级规模，还有不少法学院在为学生提供更多的经济资助，以便有效地降低学生的学费负担。然而眼下强大的经济现实是，开设法学院可是笔大买卖。法学院的学生毕业时，每人平均要背负10万美元以上的债务，由此可见学费之高。
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.
当中的一大因素是师资人员的薪水，在重点或大型法学院，部分法律教授的年薪在35万到40万美元以上。除了排名在前10%内的顶级法律机构外，这个金额远超其他法律从业人员的薪资水平。
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，法学院的院长们几乎一致坚称，法学院的学费价有所值，辩称法律学位能够保值数年之久。他们本身也兼任法律教授，当中很少有人愿意干预一台成熟的盈利机器，或者不惜惹恼校友来让本校的专业学位贬值。
"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.
“这是一种强大的主导力量，有它自身的动力存在，”布赖恩•塔玛纳哈表示。他是华盛顿大学法学院（Washington University School of Law）的教授，同时也是《失败的法学院》（Failing Law Schools）一书的作者。他总结说，唾手可得的贷学金、固步自封的评审程序，还有全国法学院排名，都助长了这种一刀切式的法学院体制，而这种体制并不适合大多数的学生。
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.
塔玛纳哈认为，美国律师协会（American Bar Association）的评审机制过度鼓励了法学院的“学术模式”。在这种模式下，薪水可观的教授很少带课，从而可以腾出时间撰写法律学术文章或者开展研究。
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.
塔玛纳哈指出，这一模式对顶级院校而言或许行之有效，但是对那些准备担任公共服务、法律援助及其他同类律师职位的学生而言，费用就太过昂贵了。
Can the legal fat be trimmed?
“法学臃肿”有解药吗？
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.
塔玛纳哈表示，方法之一便是让教授在每学年带更多的课，从而降低法学院的工资预算。其他院系则可更多地起用兼职教授，同时提供两年制的法律学位，以此削减学生的学费总额。
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.
一些享有盛名的法学院已经开始瞄准第三学年，把它作为改革目标。纽约大学法学院（New York University's School of Law）便是其中之一，该院在今年10月通过决议，允许学生在三年级时赴海外进修，或者专攻某一专门领域，比如环境法，或者反垄断法。其他一些优秀学生也可选择专攻专利法、税法等专门领域。
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.
华盛顿与李大学法学院（Washington and Lee Law School）采取的对策则是修订了三年级的规划，让学生可以进入校内法律诊所或者校外单位实习。斯坦福法学院（Stanford Law School）也放宽了三年级的课程限制，允许学生获取该院系与其他大学院系的联合学位。
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.
不过，麦肯锡认为，起用兼任教授（通常为执业律师）教授指定课时的课程能让学生同时获得学习专业知识和降低学习成本的好处。他表示，兼职教授“没有时间投入长期性的规划”。
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.
麦肯锡在学报文章中概述的另一种选择则是仿效西点军校（West Point）等美国军事院校的方式建设法学院。他说，学生可以在法学院校接受重点文科课程的本科教育，同时侧重于法律实践方面的准备。
"It’s unlikely," he concedes, "that many existing law schools would adopt this practice. It would probably work better for new schools."
“要让现有的很多法学院采用这一措施，”他承认，“应该不太可能。这大概比较适合新开的院校。”
Diminishing interest, skittish applicants
日益下降的兴趣，惊慌不安的申请人
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.
随着部分法学院开始考虑或实行新的模式，学生对法学院的态度也愈发不安。法学院入学委员会（Law School Admissions Council）于11月发布的数据显示，2012年10月参加法学院入学考试的人数较前一年下降了16.4%，创下了1999年以来的最低水平。
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.
教育与职业培训服务机构卡普兰考试培训学校（Kaplan Test Prep）11月对法学院招生办人员进行的一项调查显示，迄今为止，已有51%的法学院缩减了入学新生的班级规模。其中有三分之二表示，这么做是因为法律方向的就业市场疲软，还有更多的学校预期会在未来再次缩减班级规模。
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."
这些法学院正在追随加利福尼亚大学哈斯汀法学院（University of California Hastings College of Law）的脚步——该学院于去年春季宣布减招20%。院长吴华扬曾在当时表态称，如今“法学院太多，法学生也太多，我们必须采取行动。”
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.
卡普兰还发现，47%的法学院提高了本学年提供给学生的经济资助金额。科罗拉多大学（University of Colorado）法律教授保罗•坎波斯曾经撰写了《法学院骗局揭秘》系列博客（Inside the Law School Scam），他认为，这预示着法学院正在降低自己的入学标准。
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.
坎波斯长期追踪法学院的统计数据，他表示，本学年申请法学院的总人数较2003-2004学年的申请人数减少了三分之一。
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.
法学院就读人数自2010年以近5.25万人创下历史高位以来，至今已经下降了约15%。据美国律师协会数据显示，本学年的全日制及非全日制学生共计4.5万人。
"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."
“这样是无法持续的，”坎波斯警告称。“美国文化里有种狂热的信仰，认为高等教育总能收回成本，但这就像没有进行资产证券化的次贷危机。当人们意识到这个学位毫无价值时，整个体系就会崩溃。”
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.
美国国家法律就业协会（National Association of Law Placement）的法学院就业数据回顾显示，法律领域的状况已经滋长了一段时日。这项回顾发现，过去25年里的法学院毕业生共计近140万人，其中有三分之二找到了需要法学博士学位的全职工作。
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，美国律师协会仍然暂时批准了更多法学院的设立。该协会的官方网站显示，其中包括加利福尼亚大学欧文分校法学院（University of California-Irvine School of Law）和麻省大学法学院达特茅斯分院（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.
不论情愿与否，如果法学院想要压服本校心怀不满的毕业生发起的抗议活动，就必须提升自己的表现。本月早些时候，圣地亚哥的一名法官拒绝驳回4名托马斯杰弗逊法学院（Thomas Jefferson School of Law）毕业生的诉讼，他们诉称自己是在就业数据的误导下才就读了该校。校方将需要就这些数据的出处做出解释。