Tamanaha on Matasar on Law Schools

Brian Tamanaha writes at Balkanization on New York Law School Dean Richard Matasar’s recent comments about legal education reform.  I’ve raised this issue here before:  how might we as law professors informed by religious values contribute to the discussion over legal education reform?  An aspect of this problem that particularly disturbs me is that so much of the problem is fueled by greed.  All too often, we trade on greed:  take the student loans for a chance to become powerful and rich.  Students who think this way, of course, are not simply victims, contrary to the “angry law student” phenomenon that is getting so much press these days.  If you got into law school, I’d daresay that you’re probably smart enough to understand the game you’re playing, and smart enough to know it’s a big risk.  But let’s be honest:  our institutions, all of them, are all too happy to let the game play on.  Somehow we need to begin convincing law students, even before they apply for admission to our schools, that there is no meaning or purpose to becoming a lawyer without a connection to transcendent values, in the context of which the art of lawyering can be part of a life well lived.  Here’s what our promotional materials should say:  If the decision to attend law school is a bet-the-farm proposition in the pursuit of power and wealth, forget about it.  If you’ve thought carefully about your resources and are ready to cultivate the virtues of patience and perseverance, come talk with us about why law is fascinating.