Rachel F. Moran. “The Three Ages of Modern American Lawyering and the Current Crisis in the Legal Profession and Legal Education.” Santa Clara Law Review, vol. 58, no. 3 (2019): 453-522.
This article examines the competing and evolving concepts of professionalism within American legal education and practice, contrasting the post-2008 recession emphasis on law as a market-driven career path with traditional notions of lawyers as public-minded “social trustees.” Prompted by contrasting reflections—one focused on law school debt and job outcomes, the other on ethical obligation and social justice—the author traces the historical development of lawyer identities and argues that the profession is increasingly torn between market-based “expert professionalism” and a declining commitment to public-serving ideals. The article calls for renewed attention to the civic and justice-oriented dimensions of legal training and leadership.