How Bad is it Out There?: Teaching and Learning About the Legal Profession

Abstract

This paper reports on an interview-based approach to teaching professional responsibility which has offered both significant pedagogical advantages and an unexpected opportunity to study the state of the legal profession. The paper analyzes the longstanding problems associated with teaching professional responsibility and describes the new course, called The Law Firm. It reviews the empirical literature on the state of the profession and then discusses the major issues that have emerged over nine years of interviewing practicing lawyers. These issues include the effects of changing economics, the structure and governance of law firms, and the balance - or lack thereof - between lawyers' personal and professional lives.

Keywords: legal profession, professional responsibility, empirical research, teaching