Thursday, November 10, 2005
The Destruction of Young Lawyers: Beyond One L_
I thank Stephanie West Allen for bringing this to my attention:
Blurb describing the new book:
Young lawyers are morosely unhappy by every conceivable standard. They
arrive at our law schools brimming with enthusiasm, but a decade later
they are reporting staggering levels of anxiety, drug addiction, and
depression. In legal circles there is talk about a “crisis of
professionalism” and a “decline in civility,” but the problem goes much
deeper. Through ignorance and greed, the legal profession has designed
a complicated system of education, licensing, and practice that drives
young lawyers into fear, alienation, and self-hatred. The author of
this book—a law professor and practicing attorney—argues that young
lawyers face a series of institutional absurdities built into the
fabric of law school, the bar exam, and law firm practice. The current
system is churning out a tidal wave of disaffected and bitter lawyers
who see the legal system as a Byzantine maze, an endless artificial
game totally disconnected from considerations of justice. The
Destruction of Young Lawyers shows how these struggles can be reversed
through massive structural change and is the first step toward
diagnosis and treatment of the specific problems facing young lawyers.
Douglas Litowitz is a law professor at Ohio Northern University and a
practicing lawyer.
More here:
http://www3.uakron.edu/uapress/litowitz.html
I thank Stephanie West Allen for bringing this to my attention:
Blurb describing the new book:
Young lawyers are morosely unhappy by every conceivable standard. They
arrive at our law schools brimming with enthusiasm, but a decade later
they are reporting staggering levels of anxiety, drug addiction, and
depression. In legal circles there is talk about a “crisis of
professionalism” and a “decline in civility,” but the problem goes much
deeper. Through ignorance and greed, the legal profession has designed
a complicated system of education, licensing, and practice that drives
young lawyers into fear, alienation, and self-hatred. The author of
this book—a law professor and practicing attorney—argues that young
lawyers face a series of institutional absurdities built into the
fabric of law school, the bar exam, and law firm practice. The current
system is churning out a tidal wave of disaffected and bitter lawyers
who see the legal system as a Byzantine maze, an endless artificial
game totally disconnected from considerations of justice. The
Destruction of Young Lawyers shows how these struggles can be reversed
through massive structural change and is the first step toward
diagnosis and treatment of the specific problems facing young lawyers.
Douglas Litowitz is a law professor at Ohio Northern University and a
practicing lawyer.
More here:
http://www3.uakron.edu/uapress/litowitz.html
