"Tweedledum and Tweedledee agreed to have a battle; for Tweedledum said Tweedledee had spoiled his nice new rattle." —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
When the conversation ended, I simply stared into space, stunned. I must have misheard the official from the U.S. Agency for International Development. This can’t be happening to me, I thought.
By graduation, law students should understand what it means to act professionally: to succeed as a professional in a professional field. This doesn’t seem like a radical or controversial notion. But when looking back at your own legal education, where exactly were you taught the soft skills, norms and insights that underlie professionalism in practice? Was it embedded in the required 1L curriculum? Offered as an upper-level course? Mandated as a graduation requirement?
Name your favorite book. What’s your favorite line from that book? Do you have one? Can you even remember one line, one quote from the book? Now, name your favorite movie. What’s your favorite line from that movie? Can you pick just one, or are there too many to choose from?
It’s well past midnight. My desk is a toppling tower of case files and civil procedure treatises; from the next room, I hear the soft, hiccupping snores of my two daughters, ages 2 and 6. In seven hours, I’ll be standing in the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, ready to defend the city against a negligence claim. In nine, I’ll race to campus for evidence. And in 12, I’ll be back in the carpool lane, fielding a debate over whether one bedtime story really means three.
As a lawyer, I used to think advocacy was something I only did for others. After almost going blind, I learned the hard way that it’s also something I must do for myself.
In a June 2023 essay entitled “Civics: Who Will Teach Them?,” U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the following statement about the critical importance of effective civics education for all U.S. citizens: “An important component of being a good citizen is being an informed and knowledgeable citizen. That means having a working knowledge of how our government is structured, how it functions, the role of the different branches of government, their separate powers, the branches’ responsibilities and the limitations on their powers. Without such knowledge, it is nearly impossible for us to fulfill our duties or wisely exercise our privileges as citizens.”
Each year, our organization, Community Legal Services, provides legal assistance to thousands of individuals who otherwise could not afford counsel. Our work, and that of the volunteer attorneys who support us, is essential in helping people navigate matters as simple as signing a lease or as complex as obtaining an injunction against an abusive spouse.
BigLaw has manufactured an “arms race” for talent that is hurting employers, students, recruiters, career counselors and legal educators alike. Like most arms races, the action of one law firm has triggered the reactions of others, all seeking to cultivate the impression of superior strength while instead imposing enormous (and often-absurd) costs on everyone.
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
