"A 'bridge-to-practice' program is defined as a program to provide recent law school graduates with an opportunity to develop and enhance their practical legal skills as they transition into the practice of law, generally by providing funding of some sort for a period of post-graduate work in one of several kinds of legal workplaces." NALP has begun surveying schools to determine how widespread and successful the programs are.

(C-ville, April 30, 2014)
"So-called 'bridge-to-practice' programs that subsidize new lawyers’ early careers have become commonplace at law schools around the country, and critics are increasingly calling schools out for using the practice to boost their employment numbers.... But proponents of the law school’s program say that’s not a problem." UVA's PILA provides grants to law students who accept low-paying or unpaid public service internships. Participants in UVA's Program in Law and Public Service are guaranteed summer funding from PILA.

The Task Force findings and recommendations include "a continuing education curriculum designed to equip new lawyers with the practical skills and substantive knowledge they need to advance their careers"; a bridge-to-practice program; "a number of specific proposals to reform the bar examination and new lawyer accreditation process"; and plans for "a New Law Firm for Persons of Moderate Means. This new venture is in response to a modern-day paradox, which is that while there is supposedly an oversupply of lawyers in the current market, there is also an enormous unmet legal need among the American middle class."

"The Third Year in Practice Program (3YP) provides qualifying students with a unique third-year experience engaging in the actual and simulated practice of law. The 3YP program employs a combination of select courses and field placements, tailored to a student’s professional interests, in order to facilitate a student’s transition into the practice of law. Students can apply for the 3YP program after completion of their first year of law school. Eligibility criteria will include academic performance and a demonstrated commitment to spending one’s third year in practice."