Lawyers and 'Public Service'

http://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2010/08/lawyers-and-public-service

Under the headline "Young Lawyers Turn to Public Service," the New York Times has an article about attorneys choosing to stay in jobs at non-profits or government rather than to work at large law firms.

Other deferred associates like Avi Singh see public interest law as a "sustaining motivation" that keeps him coming to work every day. Mr. Singh is a 2009 Harvard Law School graduate who decided to stay on with the Santa Clara County public defender's office in San Jose, Calif., instead of returning to the firm Quinn Emmanuel after a four-month deferral.

I'm not the first person to make this observation, and I've got nothing against either public defenders or those attorneys who choose to practice law outside for-profit firms, but here it is: It's amazing how defending violent murderers or rapists (and potentially getting them off so they can victimize others) qualifies as "public service," but not working at a law firm where you help entrepreneurs structure companies that will provide useful products or services to people and create jobs.

by Ira Stoll  |  Aug 19, 2010 at 11:35 pm Related Topics:  Non-Profits, Press receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free futureofcapitalism.com mailing list