If it were up to President Obama, law school students would shoulder less debt.

That much became clear last week when the president was speaking at a town-hall meeting about tuition reform at Binghamton University. During his talk, he said he supported the controversial idea of shortening law school to two years instead of three, which could help students lessen their debt. Students who graduated law school in 2012 have an average of $108,293 in tuition debt.

The president, who is a Harvard Law School graduate, added that “in the first two years [of law school], young people are learning in the classroom. The third year, they'd be better off clerking or practicing in a firm even if they weren't getting paid that much.”

The American Bar Association has resisted changing the standard that requires law schools to have three-year academic programs, even though many practicing lawyers and scholars support a two-year model.

For more InsideCounsel stories about law school, read:

If it were up to President Obama, law school students would shoulder less debt.

That much became clear last week when the president was speaking at a town-hall meeting about tuition reform at Binghamton University. During his talk, he said he supported the controversial idea of shortening law school to two years instead of three, which could help students lessen their debt. Students who graduated law school in 2012 have an average of $108,293 in tuition debt.

The president, who is a Harvard Law School graduate, added that “in the first two years [of law school], young people are learning in the classroom. The third year, they'd be better off clerking or practicing in a firm even if they weren't getting paid that much.”

The American Bar Association has resisted changing the standard that requires law schools to have three-year academic programs, even though many practicing lawyers and scholars support a two-year model.

For more InsideCounsel stories about law school, read: