Respect, Responsibility, and the Virtue of Introspection: An Essay on Professionalism in the Law School Environment

Abstract:     
The point of this essay can be summed up in the following set of propositions: that the cultivation of professional values - certain attitudes and habits of heart that are thought critical to the practice and culture of the profession - is essential to the education of lawyers; that the cultivation of professionalism necessarily entails the nurturing of a sense of professional self-conciousness and constructive introspection, and an attitude of respect and responsibility towards others - what some would call "caring;" that law schools can go a long way towards encouraging their students in the cultivation of these virtues by creating within the law school community an atmosphere that encourages its faculty to interact with students in ways that take seriously the need to teach professionalism, whether by intellectual engagement with these issues, by example, or otherwise; that such interactions necessarily require faculty time, energy, and availability; and that the competing demands placed on law faculty will prevent that attention from being paid to students unless the faculty and administrative leadership within universities and law schools gives appropriate value and recognition to excellence in this aspect of legal education.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 36

Keywords: professionalism, legal profession, legal education, professional values

JEL Classification: K1, K4, K40

Accepted Paper Series