National Law Journal op-ed, Applying the Alternative Fee Model to Law School Tuition, by Ari L. Kaplan:

The time has come to talk more openly about the cost of a legal education. …

I released my report: The Evolution of the Legal Profession: A Conversation with the Legal Community’s Thought Leaders on the Front Lines of an Industry in Transition … in 2010 and have addressed law students at almost 50 law schools worldwide since the release of my first book, The Opportunity Maker in 2008.

My conclusion: 2012 can be the year to implement a positive shift in the logistics of legal education. The legal academic community has jump-started this discussion by beginning to implement changes to the curriculum, practical training initiatives, and greater transparency in reporting employment statistics.

The time has come to talk more openly about the cost of a legal education and I don’t mean cheaper, I mean different:

• Treat the first year as a commodity. … If … the tuition over three years is $100,000, charge $5,000 per semester in the first year and offer a paralegal certificate the same way that admitted attorneys in some states can automatically become notaries public or licensed real estate brokers. Then charge $22,500 per semester for the following two years. …
• Proactively provide students with counseling about whether they should continue with their legal education. Keeping uninspired students may lead to dissatisfied alumni, which is a loss for schools in the long term. Remove the stigma about quitting in favor of alternatives. Have your remarkably creative career services team continue to expand the pool of options for students. Instead of encouraging students to avoid failure, motivate them to seek out their greatest potential for success. That shift could transform the entire profession. 
• Change the content conversation. … For instance, digital publishers must be able to produce fairly standardized casebooks that are supported by ads from bar review companies, research services, local restaurants, and other organizations interested in reaching law students. …
• Spur momentum by sharing ideas. This is an extraordinary watershed moment that calls for collective action. Law schools, law firms, legal departments, and even industry analysts, are searching for ways to realign costs with value. Together we can publicize positive proposals and share them with those leaders who can help bring them to fruition.