February 2011 Issue

Cover Story

Why I Love Being a Lawyer

We've all seen the downbeat headlines—surveys show as many as half of all lawyers wouldn't enter the profession if they had it to do over, wouldn't recommend their children become lawyers, would rather be digging ditches or breaking rocks. As the profession struggles to recover from the Great Recession, it's certainly not easy being an attorney.

But what about the other half of the profession—the half that doesn't grab the headlines, that finds satisfaction in their jobs? There's still much to recommend the practice of law, starting with serving clients and the public good. This story is a valentine to the profession, reminding us—in the words of ordinary lawyers from across the nation—why being a lawyer can be an extraordinary calling.

Plus: New ABA Journal Section Debuts in March

Feature Section

Hunting Happy: In Grim Times, a Search for Joy in Law Practice Gains Ground

It’s a funny thing that’s happened among lawyers lately: Happiness has become hip.

Myths About Happy Lawyers

Seduced: For Lawyers, the Appeal of Social Media Is Obvious. It’s Also Dangerous

Attorneys are running into ethics problems because they don’t know what they can and can’t do in the realm of social media.

A Long-Forgotten Film on the Nuremberg Trials Helps Rekindle Interest in the Holocaust

Although Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today was widely screened in Germany in 1948 and 1949—to ensure the German public would know exactly what had happened under Nazi rule—it languished in dusty vaults and movie canisters for decades, going virtually unseen in the U.S. But now, finally, it can be viewed by Americans.