A University of Michigan law school professor, Sherman J. Clark, answers the complex question of “What is law school good for?” According to The Wall Street Journal, he also has the answer. He does not dismiss the idea that law school offers students significant training and real life experience, but he also believes there is more to be gained. Clark believes a legal education will make life more meaningful and help students deal with much deeper issues pertaining to life. His paper on the subject can be read in The Journal of Legal Education. He writes, “If we are to be thoughtful about the impact of law school on the quality of lives, we must be willing to think at least tentatively about what makes for quality in life.” He’s aware that those already in debt due to attending law school will have more practical ideals, but they shouldn’t deny themselves a richer state of mind. Clark goes on to write that teaching students to make sense of the law also teaches them to “think and to argue about how what we have said and done illuminates what we want or need and who we are, and, thus, to guide what we should do or decide.” The mind is adept at comprehending statutes and cases, but it is also an “essential part of making and finding meaning in life.”
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