Law in Contemporary Society

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LawyerlandDeepEnd 3 - 16 Feb 2010 - Main.KrystalCommons
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 After class on Thursday, I decided I'd track down a copy of Lawyerland for the weekend (as it turns out, there's only one copy). It's a short read. In any event, I thought I'd share my reactions.

The book makes you hate lawyers. And pity them. Numerous snapshots of lawyers flit by: egotistical, insensitive, insecure, angry, troubled, and unhappy. There's a debate between three attorneys over whose paycheck is bigger. There's a lawyer who decides a conversation consists of two things: his opinion, and everyone listening to it-- rebuking anyone who tries to chime in with a contribution. There's the federal judge who regrets dedicating her life to achieve a position that has so little power; as she puts it:

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 "For another, the young lawyers aren't given much -- other than hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt -- to wrap their intensity around. They seem to be at this prestigious firm simply because it's a prestigious firm; they seem to be lawyers just because."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/01/abcs_the_deep_end_because_tele.html

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>		I've been watching the Deep End as well. I would say it is nothing more than "good" television. I think the article about the television show from The New York Times was right when it said it features the "old school" pre-Recession days of firms when young attorneys were living a more leisurely social life while getting paid big bucks. I have a few friends who have actually said -- in response to the show--"maybe I should go to law school". I always laugh and let them know that it is just tv.

The Deep End is interesting to me because it really does work overtime to set up the different archetypes of lawyers: Dylan: the young idealistic, ivy league graduate who says "Justice. That's why I went to law school", but then works at the big firm, or the partner Cliff who battles with the managing partner Hart about doing too much pro bono work. (See http://abc.go.com/shows/the-deep-end/bio for more). It is quite entertaining but unrealistic. I also think the NPR quote is interesting because the show seems to put feature social issues every episode and show how young lawyers are doing substantive work that is changing "everyday people's" lives. I wonder how real this is at big prestigious firms. I doubt it's as present as it is on the show.

Just my thoughts on the show.

p.s.- the acting is pretty horrible.


Revision 3r3 - 16 Feb 2010 - 17:59:34 - KrystalCommons
Revision 2r2 - 15 Feb 2010 - 23:41:06 - RonMazor
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