When I took contracts law, they taught me via the case system. It wasn't until I was actually practicing law that I learned what a good contract actually looks

When I took contracts law, they taught me via the case system. It wasn't until I was actually practicing law that I learned what a good contract actually looks like. I'm going 180 on you: law school is a barrier to entry, and a screening process, but it is not an education in "lawyering" (whatever that might mean). The core curriculum (which all law schools seem to stick to like it's gospel) was interesting from an intellectual perspective, but really a waste of my time and money. Likewise, I had to learn various intricacies of divorce laws to pass the NY bar – something I hope never to care about again. Since getting my J.D., I've practiced law in some global law firms, and I've even taught practical contract negotiations at a law school here in NYC. Every time I teach that class, a few students tell me it's the most useful thing they've learned in law school. (Keep in mind that I basically negotiate contracts for a living. If you're in antitrust, bankruptcy, etc., your law school usefulness mileage may vary. I think that's basically the problem: there's no such thing as "lawyering"; it's too broad a category to be useful.)