<p>Actually, a proposal which has floated around legal circles ever since I can remember has been to require some sort of apprenticeship - which would be a different way of “seasoning” a prospective lawyer, and in good cases a far better means of providing training than the current 4 + 3 years of schooling. But the downsides of the concept - the practical implementation of it, and the near-certainty of abuse - have kept the idea from ever gaining much traction.</p>
<p>The concept is utilized in many other professions: CPAs, medical specialists, etc. But law still has the wild west approach where once you graduate law school and pass the bar exam you’ve got a license to do just about anything that any lawyer can do, whether you know what you’re doing or not. Board certification of specialists in specific areas of law - which requires a substantial amount of actual case experience - is starting to take hold, but it’s still in its infancy compared to medical specialty certification.</p>