Session 3: The Legal Profession in the Marketplace

It’s a good thing I didn’t promise getting to Session 2 this morning as I arrived a bit late. I was debating on posting a live blog from what I was watching but a broken blog just wouldn’t do. The previous session, titled “Theological reflections on work and the challenges of pluralism”, talked about faith in the workplace. 

The next session, which this is titled after, will begin at roughly 10:45 a.m. Keep it here to view coverage live. 

The panelists for this session are as follows:

Blake Morant- Dean, Wake Forest University School of Law
Anita Allen- Henry Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania
Robert Grey Jr.- Partner, Hunton & Williams
Barry Sullivan - Partner, Jenner & Block
Chris Whelan - Associate Director of International Law Programs, University of Oxford

10:49 a.m. - Blake Morant opens by introducing panel.

11:00 a.m. - Mr. Morant introduces Mr. Grey. Open panel discussion begins before Dean Morant asks questions. 

11:05 a.m. - Mr. Grey opens by talking about his inspiration of his generation of lawyers to help establish a common ground with those “less fortunate”. Talks about his predecessor of the President of the B.A.R. association.

11:08 a.m. - Mr. Grey talks about continuing with a new breed of lawyers that may help to continue a sense of common ground and have lawyers do work for the “good” of the people and to help strengthen the judicial system.

11:09 a.m. - Mr Grey passes the dicussion onto Mr. Sullivan.

11:10 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan starts to talk about facing issues in the legal system with lawyers and the public service.

11:13 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan talks about law firms being partnerships and having a self-recognition in the past compared to todays new “breed” of lawyers who may start at these “elite” law firms with high salaries and how those law firms over-shadow todays small law firms who can only compete for small ground.

11:15 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan says these changes within law firms are due to many factors including globalization and a need to gain the best young and experienced lawyers.

11:16 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan talks about how it is hard for small firms to really grow as they have to compete against these larger, “elite” law firms who pay higher and, therefore, are more appealing to young lawyers.

11:18 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan mentions a “brighter side” to this. Small law firms usually end up with more “meaningful” cases in terms of public service than the law firms (think small Personal Law vs Corporate Law)

11:22 a.m. - Mr. Sullivan closes and Ms. Allen begins.

11:24 a.m. - Ms. Allen talks about numerous stories about lawyers, judges, and surprisingly, the fictional Michael Clayton and how there are psychological problems in the law industry.

11:25 a.m. - Ms. Allen starts to talk about Elliot Spitzer, as they were both classmates along with Spitzers wife.

11:27 a.m. - Ms. Allen begins talking about “work” (first time in the past hour and a half I’ve heard someone talk about the event we’re in)

11:28 a.m. - Ms. Allen talks about working as a reason, of course, to make money and also touches on the past session about faith in the work place and the ethics that follow.

11:30 a.m. - Ms. Allen I think just said it best, “It takes money to make lawyers and lawyers expect to make money”

11:31 a.m. - Ms. Allen talks about the stress of a lawyer and decisions in personal life to take (balancing things going on the family with a big case they may be working on that requires constant attention)

11:36 a.m. - Ms. Allen touches on an issue about how 1 in 5 Americans each year experience some type of mental issue. She says we should ask ourselves “Should we reveal to our colleagues that we have a mental illness? Should we tell our clients or reveal to our Universities that we have a mental illness?” 

11:39 a.m. - Chris Whelan is introduced

11:40 a.m. - Mr. Whelan notes how law has always been a tough, hard, and stressful job

11:42 a.m. - Mr. Whelan talks about the numerous challenges lawyers undertake during cases such as threats, hostilities, and family problems.

11:45 a.m. - Mr. Whelan explains that some lawyers try and gain business in ethical ways while others may tend to go in non-ethical ways (i.e. bribing)

11:47 a.m. - Talks about a law firm in Australia that is in the stock market showing that Law firms are becoming less of a client specific base and more of a consumer base.

11:50 a.m. - Talks about how law firms are becoming “hired guns” to “help” people get through a divorce (and mentions that law firms tend to encourage it….if you use their services)

11:54 a.m. - Talks about Mentoring and Monitoring. All early lawyers spend two years being mentored. The mentors are monitored by other lawyers

That wraps up this session. There is a small Q&A session going around and this session will be done. Thanks for tuning in!