Guiding Lawyers To Be the Best They Can Be: The Fundamental Ideals of the Legal Profession

AuthorStephen T. Goudge
Pages195-209
[195]
Guiding Lawyers To Be the Best They Can Be:
The Fundamental Ideals of the Legal Profession
stePhen t. GoudGe
   close friend or family member who has decided to go
to law school has likely had the sa me experience. The most recent lawyer
jokes probably come to mind, something about lawyers and rats , or law-
yers and sharks. But underneat h, there is almost always a quiet admi ration
and pride that a loved one has chosen to become a member of something
both important and valued: the legal profession.
What is it that ma kes the practice of law a profession? Part of the an-
swer is rooted in history. Law has si mply always been thought of this way.
Along with medicine and div inity, law was one of the original “professions.”
However, behind this perception lie certain rea lities. From the beginning,
lawyers have been seen as havi ng special lear ning and knowledge. As a
consequence, they are asked to perform ser vices essential both to the indi-
vidual and to the collect ive welfare of society. They are regarded as mem-
bers of a profession who can exercise this specia l responsibility, guided by
a shared set of norms or funda mental ideals.
It is the presence of these ideals that in la rge measure ans wers the
question of what it means for a lawyer to say “I am a professional.” And it
is the presence of these ideals that generates the k ind of respect that is felt
for someone who seeks to become a member of the profession.
Not that these funda mental ideals are a lways ref‌lected in every activ-
ity of every lawyer. That utopia remai ns beyond the horizon. Rat her, like
all ideals, thei r power is aspirationa l. They set the goals to which lawyers

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT