Law Commons^™

A Personal Constitution, Michael Serota

NULR Online

Today’s law school graduates face two disturbing trends in the professional world. Each is well known, but neither is openly discussed in the law school setting. First, lawyers suffer from chronic professional dissatisfaction. Approximately one out of every four lawyers is dissatisfied with her job. Second, this dissatisfaction exacts an extraordinarily high price on lawyers, the legal profession, and society as a whole. Most startling, however, is the fact that the widespread dissatisfaction and the associated mental health-related problems prevalent in the legal profession actually begin in law school.

The Effect Of Legal Professionalization On Moral Reasoning: A Reply To Professor Vischer And Professor Wendel, Michael Hatfield

NULR Online

I am grateful to Professor Vischer and Professor Wendel for their responses to my essay, Professionalizing Moral Deference; I learned a great deal from each piece. I also appreciate their patience in enduring my finalization of the essay and am indebted to them both for their personal indulgence and intellectual stimulation.

The aim of my earlier essay was to open a new discussion of lawyers and morality through my reflections on the so-called “Torture Memo.” Specifically, my essay focuses on the effect of legal training and practice on lawyers’ moral reasoning. It explores the ways in which we, as …