Reforming the system would help both
lawyers and their customers. Sensible ideas have been around for a long time,
but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too
conservative to implement(实施)them.
One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree. Another is
to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school. If the bar
exam is truly a strict enough test for a would-be lawyer, those who can sit it
earlier should be allowed to do so. Students who do not need the extra training
could cut their debt mountain by a third. The other reason why costs are so
high is the restrictive guild-like(行会)
ownership structure of the business. Except in the District of Columbia,
non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm. This keeps fees high and
innovation slow. There is pressure for change from within the profession, but
opponents of change among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a
law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve
clients ethically.
In fact, allowing non-lawyers to own shares
in law firms would reduce costs and improve services to customers, by
encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to
focus on improving firms' efficiency. After all, other countries, such as
Australia and Britain, have started liberalizing their legal professions.
America should follow.
lawyers and their customers. Sensible ideas have been around for a long time,
but the state-level bodies that govern the profession have been too
conservative to implement(实施)them.
One idea is to allow people to study law as an undergraduate degree. Another is
to let students sit for the bar after only two years of law school. If the bar
exam is truly a strict enough test for a would-be lawyer, those who can sit it
earlier should be allowed to do so. Students who do not need the extra training
could cut their debt mountain by a third. The other reason why costs are so
high is the restrictive guild-like(行会)
ownership structure of the business. Except in the District of Columbia,
non-lawyers may not own any share of a law firm. This keeps fees high and
innovation slow. There is pressure for change from within the profession, but
opponents of change among the regulators insist that keeping outsiders out of a
law firm isolates lawyers from the pressure to make money rather than serve
clients ethically.
In fact, allowing non-lawyers to own shares
in law firms would reduce costs and improve services to customers, by
encouraging law firms to use technology and to employ professional managers to
focus on improving firms' efficiency. After all, other countries, such as
Australia and Britain, have started liberalizing their legal professions.
America should follow.
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