What Can We Hope For from Law?

What can a lawyer of faith hope for, and expect from, law? This Essay, based on the 2008 Louis Brandeis Lecture given at Pepperdine University, discusses why and how this question matters not just as a matter of theory but to our real-world lawyering journeys. The Essay discusses two of the frameworks that can shape our answer to the question: a natural law viewpoint and what the Essay calls a “Lutheran” view. After explaining how these two perspectives might lead to different expectations about the effects of law, the Essay discusses whether either of these approaches is more sustaining or explanatory over the long run.