After years of preparation, two Yale Law School students were in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court on Tuesday, arguing a case that could lead to major changes in Connecticut’s public education system and how it’s funded.

Law students Neil Weare and David Noah and a dozen classmates have spent thousands of hours interviewing plaintiffs, conducting research, drafting briefs and developing oral arguments in a lawsuit that would have cost an estimated $5 million to $7 million if handled by private lawyers.