Recently at law school orientation, I conducted a first class for the incoming first-year students. I introduced them to several of the broad themes they will encounter throughout their study of law. What does it mean to be a professional? What are the intellectual and emotional demands of practicing law? What are the lawyer's obligations to clients and the rule of law? In sum, I asked them to consider the values of a life in the law, what it means to take a leadership role in a rule-of-law society.

I teach this class every year. Every year I walk away energized, optimistic, impressed by the engagement of these new students, confident in their success and the vitality of our profession.

Then I return to my office, where I can usually find at least one fresh media report about how law schools are broken and questioning their relevance. And I wonder: Are all of these amazingly gifted, motivated, data-drenched young people reckless, ill informed or desperate? Do they simply not understand the pressures, economic and otherwise, that have kept so many of their peers from applying to law school over the past several years?