The American Legal Profession

Catalog description

This course will deal with selected aspects of the history, organization, economics, ethics, and possible futures of the legal profession in the United States. Likely topics will include, in addition to the ABA's Model Rules of Professional Conduct: demographic changes in the profession, the evolution of law firms, bar associations, and law schools from the early twentieth century to the present; the development of corporate law, personal injury, mass torts, prosecutorial and criminal defense practices, and the "public-interest" bar; the dominant professional ethic of adversary-advocacy, and its critics; the regulation of lawyers; the economics of the market for legal services; the organization and culture of law firm practice; the role of the role of the lawyer as counselor; and the export of American lawyering models abroad. 8-hour self-scheduled take-home examination, with option of writing a research paper. Special Instructions: Students have the option to write a long research paper in lieu of the final exam with consent of instructor. After the term begins, students accepted into the course can transfer from section (01) into section (02), which meets the R requirement, with consent of the instructor. Elements used in grading: Class participation, attendance, final paper or final exam.