The lawyer myth : a defense of the American legal profession / Rennard Strickland and Frank T. Read.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Strickland, Rennard.

Contributor:

Read, Frank T., 1938-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lawyers--United States.

Lawyers.

Practice of law--United States.

Practice of law.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (174 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Athens, OH : Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Lawyers and the legal profession have become scapegoats for many of the problems of our age. In The Lawyer Myth: A Defense of the American Legal Profession, Rennard Strickland and Frank T. Read look behind current antilawyer media images to explore the historical role of lawyers as a balancing force in times of social, economic, and political change. One source of this disjunction of perception and reality, they find, is that American society has lost touch with the need for the lawyer's skill and has come to blame unrelated social problems on the legal profession. This highly personal and impassioned book is their defense of lawyers and the rule of law in the United States.The Lawyer Myth confronts the hypocrisy of critics from both the right and the left who attempt to exploit popular misperceptions about lawyers and judges to further their own social and political agendas. By revealing the facts and reasoning behind the decisions in such cases as the infamous McDonald's coffee spill, the authors provide a clear explanation of the operation of the law while addressing misconceptions about the number of lawsuits, runaway jury verdicts, and legal technicalities that turn criminals out on the street.Acknowledging that no system is perfect, the authors propose a slate of reforms for the bar, the judiciary, and law schools that will enable today's lawyers - and tomorrow's - to live up to the noble potential of their profession. Whether one thinks of lawyers as keepers of the springs of democracy, foot soldiers of the Constitution, architects and carpenters of commerce, umpires and field levelers, healers of the body politic, or simply bridge builders, The Lawyer Myth reminds us that lawyers are essential to American democracy.

Contents:

Lawyers are essential in American society

Myths and misunderstandings about American law and lawyers

Lawyers are society's problem solvers

The American legal system has built-in safeguards to assure fairness and to protect citizens' rights

Lawyers help create a more just society

Words for the next generation of America's lawyers.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-152).

ISBN:

0-8040-4035-4

OCLC:

460042586