Rodrigo's Thirteenth Chronicle: Legal Formalism and Law's Discontents

45 Pages Posted: 7 Jan 2016

See all articles by Richard Delgado

Richard Delgado

Seattle University School of Law

Date Written: 1997

Abstract

The public are discontent with lawyers, believing them cold, impersonal, and grasping. At the same time, lawyers are unhappy with their work, finding it overly regimented and pressured. Rodrigo and the professor, joined by Giannina, Rodrigo’s wife, who is now a law student at a top school, discuss what lies behind these discontents, which they deem related. They also trace them to a common source, namely law’s preoccupation with form, formalism, and doctrine at the expense of human values and connection.

Keywords: legal education, legal profession, formalism, happiness and unhappiness

Suggested Citation

Delgado, Richard, Rodrigo's Thirteenth Chronicle: Legal Formalism and Law's Discontents (1997). Michigan Law Review, Vol. 95, 1997, U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2711835, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2711835

Richard Delgado (Contact Author)

Seattle University School of Law ( email )

WA
United States

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