It's a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird: The Need for Idealism in the Legal Profession

20 Pages Posted: 24 Apr 2016 Last revised: 30 Apr 2016

See all articles by Jonathan Rapping

Jonathan Rapping

Atlanta's John Marshall Law School

Date Written: April 21, 2016

Abstract

To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch has served as a role model and inspiration for law students and lawyers for over fifty years. When Go Set a Watchmen was published last year, Finch's status as legal hero was threatened. In this essay I argue that Finch is a uniquely important role model to lawyers committed to social justice and that he has the ability to inspire attorneys seeking to live lives of purpose. We desperately need this inspiration in our profession. I conclude that in a profession that has lost its way we should continue to view Finch in this light and resist the temptation to destroy this fictional hero.

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Suggested Citation

Rapping, Jonathan, It's a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird: The Need for Idealism in the Legal Profession (April 21, 2016). Michigan Law Review, Vol. 114, Issue 6, 2016, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2768497

Jonathan Rapping (Contact Author)

Atlanta's John Marshall Law School ( email )

1422 West Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30331
United States

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