Lawyers In The Public Service And The Role Of Law Schools

Law schools should recognize and maximize their opportunity to work in public service. Law schools have an obligation to recognize a causal link between legal education and value learned through the law school experience and the tremendous effect that this training can have on the community. This essay examines the history of the traditional law school curriculum and poses practical and philosophical suggestions for the improvement of existing course work towards the public good. Next, the essay examines the community beyond the walls of the school as a source of instruction and finally, argues that a more expansive definition of professional responsibility must be instilled in the students and rewarded by the law schools.

Through this redefinition, the law school and the community at large can benefit from one another through a compact of mutual obligation and support.