A new proposal in Arizona would allow people to defend people against criminal charges on the strength f a one-year "Master's of Legal Studies". Only charges with a possible death sentence would require a lawyer.
Dave Byers, director of the Arizona Supreme Court, is touting this proposal. He maintains that it is needed to fill a dearth of defense lawyers. He also suggests that a single year of study would give practitioners adequate, even superior training in law. In his view, all that is needed for criminal work could be condensed into two semesters.
Old Guy would like to see how. Constitutional law alone is usually a full year, and it may not proceed well if taught at the same time as criminal evidence. Or is it proposed to dispense with constitutional law as an allegedly unnecessary course? When lifelong imprisonment is at stake?
Old Guy also wonders why the abundant lawyers who cannot find work are not flocking to Arizona if there is so much unfilled demand.
Lowering the standards seems like a big mistake, and criminal defense is by no means less deserving of proper legal services than corporate law or civil litigation. Perhaps the idea is to stick criminal defendants with a cheap warm body, with the advantage redounding to the favor of the prosecution.
