Word: professional
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Wilkins teaches the first-year introductory Civil Procedure course, and supervises student teachers for "Introduction to Lawyering." He is also director of the Law School's Program on the Legal Profession, which is designed to study the practice of law in America and suggest possible reforms.
But we shouldn't discount the contributions of lawyers. Most of those on the political left who defend the profession point to public-interest law as its saving grace. For the left, corporate law seems to be nearly indefensible.
This isn't to say that corporate law as a profession has no excesses. Professor of Law Detlev Vagts points to the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal as one of the worst. Hundreds of American lawyers descended on the city in an appalling display of venality.
The practice of law is a demanding and honorable profession. It offers challenging opportunities in a wide range of substantive areas. It attracts a talented, diverse group of people. Each profession has its misfits, and the law is no exception. But the actions of some should not taint all.
Lorraine A. Lezama, a contributing writer for the Opinion page, plans to join the ranks of the despised profession. She's been reading a lot of de Tocqueville lately.