Open letter to young persons contemplating the study of law
Good lawyers understand that practicing law is not just a job, defined by its attendant paycheck, but a profession with public and moral responsibilities that survive them.
November 21, 2013 at 07:00 PM
7 minute read
“Professions are performed only by individuals, and the integrity of professional practice is not easily isolated from the integrity of a whole character, the habits of valuation, judgment and perception that guide a person through the world.” —Jedediah Purdy,“For Common Things: Irony, Trust and Commitment in America Today”
Good lawyers, lawyers with integrity, have an interest in the law that extends beyond their retirement date. This is because good lawyers understand that practicing law is not just a job, defined by its attendant paycheck, but a profession with public and moral responsibilities that survive them. Thus, good lawyers care deeply about the young lawyers who will rise to take their place. And because of that, good lawyers are very worried these days.
It is hard to imagine a seemingly less auspicious time to begin the study of law. We have all seen the stats. Law school applications have declined by almost half in just the last few years. Many law school grads cannot find a job and cannot pay the massive student loan debt many of them graduate with. Law schools are cutting the size of their classes and the highest scorers on the LSAT are disproportionately choosing not to actually attend law school. The lives of most of the “luckiest” law grads, those who score jobs as associates in top law firms, are lives of unremitting, soul-sucking toil, with little prospect of attaining the coveted partnership.
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