Law schools have been under increasing pressure to produce practice-ready lawyers for more than a decade, but as many top law schools launch new programs, it seems a tipping point has arrived.

While some institutions have long had clinical training, primarily in litigation, schools are evolving their offerings in areas like transactional practice, entrepreneurship, and leadership.

The expectation that law graduates be prepared for work on day one is growing. With soaring billing rates, firms and clients are less willing to pay for long associate apprenticeships, the firm model for more than a century.

“I think it is a responsiveness to students and to firms not wanting to have to pay for people to learn on their dime. Schools want to add as much value for their students as they can,” said Kellye Testy, executive director and CEO of the Association of American Law Schools.

Law schools have always taught students to “think like lawyers,” but increasingly schools are being called upon to train students to act like lawyers, as well.

At Stanford Law, for example, students team up with experienced attorneys to represent clients in cutting-edge cases in areas like IP and tech policy advocacy, and AI regulation.

Stanford third-year student Victoria Gardner helped to draft an amicus brief in an anonymous speech case before New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division as...

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