In addition to various internal changes for reducing costs and attracting more students, law schools in some states are offering or considering reduction of mandatory legal education from the traditional three years to two. Such moves were made possible by the American Bar Association’s 2004 decision to change the six-semester requirement for accredited law schools to 24 months.
In 2008, Northwestern University became the first top 10 law school to offer a two-year J.D. degree. A few schools have since followed suit and a number of others are considering such a change. There are variations in the programs being considered. Some involve additional summer sessions, which, depending upon their extent, may or may not result in satisfying the ABA 24-month minimum for a J.D. Others may factor in relevant employment.
