In these fraught times, lawyers have risen to the fore to safeguard the rule of law and to defend the promise of equal access to justice for all. That seems all the more reason to take stock of the power that our expertise wields and the good that can be achieved when that power is exercised judiciously. Last week, we took time out to do just that in my first-year classes, during a celebration that began 20 years ago and that I call “Loving the Law Day.”
The idea was born when I read Justice Cardozo’s address to the first graduating of class of NYU Law School. He told the new lawyers, “Love the law, and treat it as if you love it.” Inspired, I aimed to nurture in my classes that same respect, passion, and love for the law. While the law may not always love us back, love for our craft is always a choice. Exercised persistently, it can move mountains.
