About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

11 Clinical L. Rev. 425 (2004-2005)
The Inseparability of Professionalism and Personal Satisfaction: Perspectives on Values, Integrity and Happiness

handle is hein.journals/clinic11 and id is 433 raw text is: THE INSEPARABILITY OF PROFESSIONALISM AND PERSONAL SATISFACTION: PERSPECTIVES ON VALUES, INTEGRITY AND HAPPINESS LAWRENCE S. KRIEGER* This article suggests a more effective approach to professional- ism training based on a modern understanding of human nature. It explains (1) the many empirically established connections between life satisfaction and the values and motivations that would promote professional behavior among lawyers, and (2) the role of character integrity in maintaining physical and emotional wellness. It then de- scribes an approach to teaching this material in the classroom or clinical setting, in order to foster both professionalism and career sat- isfaction among law students. There is a lot of talk about professionalism in law schools and the legal profession today, with little evidence of positive impact. Stu- dents continue to turn away from public service careers1, and there is no suggestion of a diminution of hyper-aggressive litigation tactics. One crucial reason that our rhetoric fails is that it is contradicted by the competitive, outcome-oriented institutional values one typically finds dominating law schools and the highly visible and commercial- ized segments of the profession. It is reasonable that law students and young lawyers tune out the noble but dissonant messages about professionalism, but the regrettable result is that many of them fail to really comprehend the foundations of their future working life. Professionalism training typically amounts to telling law students and lawyers that they should act in certain ways, for generally noble reasons including the high calling of our profession; and that they'd better do so, for more coercive reasons including the potential for bar discipline. Neither of these motives - guilt or fear - is likely to be effective in producing the desired result.2 Rarely, if ever, is one's ac- tual life experience - including one's happiness and career satisfaction * Clinical Professor of Law, Florida State University College of Law. This essay is based on a presentation to the Annual Conference of the Section on Clinical Education of the Association of American Law Schools, May, 2003. 1 In 2002 and 2003 respectively, 3.4% and 3.2% of new law graduates took public interest positions. National Association for Law Placement, Salary Summary Reports, at http://www.nalp.org/nalpresearch/newgrads.htm (last visited Feb. 15, 2005). 2 The discussion of intrinsic motivation later in this paper will clarify that actions based on such imposed motivations are themselves unsatisfying, and thus are not likely to persist.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most