Respect, Responsibility, and the Virtue of Introspection: An Essay on Professionalism in the Law School Environment

36 Pages Posted: 3 Mar 2010

See all articles by Barry Sullivan

Barry Sullivan

Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Ellen S. Podgor

Stetson University College of Law

Date Written: 2001

Abstract

The point of this essay can be summed up in the following set of propositions: that the cultivation of professional values - certain attitudes and habits of heart that are thought critical to the practice and culture of the profession - is essential to the education of lawyers; that the cultivation of professionalism necessarily entails the nurturing of a sense of professional self-conciousness and constructive introspection, and an attitude of respect and responsibility towards others - what some would call "caring;" that law schools can go a long way towards encouraging their students in the cultivation of these virtues by creating within the law school community an atmosphere that encourages its faculty to interact with students in ways that take seriously the need to teach professionalism, whether by intellectual engagement with these issues, by example, or otherwise; that such interactions necessarily require faculty time, energy, and availability; and that the competing demands placed on law faculty will prevent that attention from being paid to students unless the faculty and administrative leadership within universities and law schools gives appropriate value and recognition to excellence in this aspect of legal education.

Keywords: professionalism, legal profession, legal education, professional values

JEL Classification: K1, K4, K40

Suggested Citation

Sullivan, Barry and Podgor, Ellen S., Respect, Responsibility, and the Virtue of Introspection: An Essay on Professionalism in the Law School Environment (2001). Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2001, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1559206

Barry Sullivan (Contact Author)

Loyola University Chicago School of Law ( email )

25 E. Pearson
Chicago, IL 60611
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.luc.edu/law/faculty/sullivan.html

Ellen S. Podgor

Stetson University College of Law ( email )

1401 61st Street South
Gulfport, FL 33707
United States
727 562 7348 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.law.stetson.edu/tmpl/faculty/memberProfile.aspx?id=88

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
157
Abstract Views
2,973
Rank
339,776
PlumX Metrics