Although many legal professionals think the drive to create American-style law schools is playing a key role in making better lawyers, others are not ready to embrace the new model.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20061104f1a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='188'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Takeshi Hagiwara –

and his Criminal Case Clinic students at Omiya Law School in Saitama Prefecture have a discussion earlier this year. PHOTO COURTESY OF OMIYA LAW SCHOOL

Takeshi Hagiwara likes his job as a criminal lawyer, saying it's his duty to protect people's constitutional rights.