Needless Educational Credential -- The JD

In this Washington Examiner piece, lawyer Hans Bader, a Harvard Law School grad, argues that law school is unnecessary and that people who wish to go into legal practice should be allowed to study for the bar exam as they wish. Currently, in most states no one is permitted to take the bar exam without first getting a degree from an ABA-accredited law school. Bader is right. Law school is a high barrier to entry that does not ensure competence, but simply drives way up the cost of entering the legal profession. One result is that few lawyers can afford to take cases that involve low fees.