After three years of law school, a hundred grand of debt and weeks sweating out a bar review and exam, it’s time to start practicing law in earnest, right?

At a handful of firms, the answer is fast becoming “not yet.” These firms are putting new recruits through additional apprenticeship programs that they say will better train their attorneys for life at a law firm and for handling clients. Think of it as the equivalent of a medical residency, only with suits instead of scrubs.