A US university is trying to give its legal students better training to produce a wider skill set and differentiate them from other graduates.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Northwestern law dean David Van Zandt developed a two-year course designed to give budding legal professionals the chance to get a degree in two years, not three.

But before applying to study law – whether in a two or three-year format - it might be worth planning ahead to make sure you have the time to devote to it.

"Law school is already an extraordinarily intense experience," commented Lawrence Solum, associate dean at University of Illinois.

The Bureau of Labor also uses the word "intense" to describe the competition for law school admission.

However, lawyers hold "positions of great responsibility", it says, with statistics noting that around 27 per cent of lawyers are self-employed – either at a solo practice or as a partner in a firm.