Law Schools

Is This Law School Making 3L Year A Joke?

3L year of law school is already kind of a joke...

By Kathryn Rubino on April 05, 2016 4:31 pm
The most important thing you'll do 3L year.

The most important thing you’ll do 3L year.

To be clear, the third year of law school is already kind of a joke. It’s only still a thing in order to pad the law school coffers — very little gets learned that year, but students keep paying tuition. It is an added blow to the wallet after an already expensive degree, and as a result sparked a debate at to whether or not it is even necessary, with President Obama himself questioning the usefulness of the endeavor.

It is against this controversial backdrop that Florida Coastal School of Law stepped up and told students they can get though that pesky last year of school from the comfort of their own beds. Well, not quite. But they are offering a “Third Year at Home” program:

Florida Coastal School of Law is excited to announce our new “Third Year at Home” program that addresses the many challenges faced by law school students who desire to attend school in one place and take the Bar in another.

This new program allows students to complete their third year anywhere in the country and is based on three key offerings:

  • Distance Education – We offer a broad choice of distance education courses that meet ABA requirements and count towards degree requirements.
  • Externships – Whether a student chooses to return home or start a career somewhere else, we’ll assist in identifying and locating qualified externship opportunities.
  • State Specific Bar Prep – Prepare with classes that are specifically designed to help you take and pass your state’s bar.

Give Florida Coastal points for acknowledging that no one goes to classes anyway their third year. Seriously, 3L year is the last opportunity to enjoy a carefree existence before the crushing weight of law firm life kills all the joy in life, so yeah, attendance in class is not generally enforced. Plus the focus on practical skills useful in a competitive job market and bar passage is definitely a good thing.

And I am sure they’ll be happy to take students’ full tuition for that third year for the privilege of graduating, even though the student is now using only a minimal amount of the school’s resources. Someone’s coming out ahead on this deal and it’s not necessarily the student.

Coastal Law’s Third Year at Home [Florida Coastal School of Law]

Earlier: Dear Obama, Instead Of Talking About Law Schools, You Could Actually Do Something