Canadian Lawyer

OPINION Some argue in a time of difficulty there will be an increase in ethical sensitivity, as people realize strict codes of civility may be all that stand between them and calamity. others predict disaster. These Jeremiahs talk glumly about what is to come, and may, in passing, mention The Lord of the Flies or The Hunger Games. There���s an old saw in the legal profession: A profitable position, their legal careers seem almost over before they have partnership is a happy one, whereas an unprofitable partner- properly begun. Who could not forgive them a certain bittership is never content. The maxim applies to all parts of the ness, a lack of civility? Who would be surprised if they turned profession. As long as there is a lot of money sloshing about, against the traditional professional institutions? and some of it sloshes your way, you won���t make trouble. As And what about supposedly well-established members of long as applicants clamour to get into law schools, professors the profession? They���re not safe. At a recent dinner, I sat next will slumber on in peace. As long as there is an articling job to a senior partner of a large firm. He told me how his firm for everyone, the barricades will remain unmanned. As long has embraced the ���corporate model.��� In the last while, he said, as all is financially well in the practising profession, niceness the CEO had fired a lot of partners ��� a lot ��� who weren���t will prevail. But what happens when law school applications considered productive enough. As the T-shirt says, ���I have dwindle, articling jobs disappear, and growth slows? Then, seen the future and you���re not in it.��� nastiness has a tendency to crowd out niceness. Much has been said about what happens to ethics in a Philip Slayton���s latest book, Mighty Judgment: How the time of crisis. Some argue in a time of difficulty there will be Supreme Court of Canada Runs Your Life, is now available in an increase in ethical sensitivity as people realize strict codes paperback. Follow him on Twitter @philipslayton. of civility may be all that stand between them and calamity. Others predict disaster. These Jeremiahs talk glumly about what is to come, and may, in passing, mention The Lord of the Flies or The Hunger Games. As one character says in The Lord of the Flies, ���Maybe there is a beast . . . maybe it���s only us.��� Supreme Court of How might the beast reveal itself as things deteriorate? Canada Counsel and Denial of the facts, and sometimes outright deception, coupled Agency Services with flamboyant rhetoric is one way to rage against the dying of the light. Dean Lawrence Mitchell of Case Western Reserve���s D. Lynne Watt Henry S. Brown, QC Graham Ragan Guy R��gimbald law school in Cleveland recently wrote: ���Hysteria has masked Matthew Estabrooks some important realities and created an environment in which some of the brightest potential lawyers are, largely irrationally, With the assistance of: Brian A. Crane, QC forgoing the possibility of a rich, rewarding and, yes, profitable, Eduard J. Van Bemmel, Law Clerk career.��� In contrast, Dean John Farmer of the Rutgers School of Law in Newark, N.J., made a confession. Some law schools, he wrote in The New York Times, ���have been misleading, or even 160 Elgin Street Suite 2600 Ottawa Ontario K1P 1C3 T 613-233-1781 fraudulent, in reporting admissions and employment data.��� As montr��al ottawa toronto hamilton waterloo region calgary vancouver beijing moscow london it happens, Farmer���s school was one of them. Rutgers-Newark used to report 90-plus-per-cent employment rates for the newAnnouncing CanLNC Experts est graduates. Starting in 2012, the American Bar Association Case Merit Service: An invaluable early assessment13-01-14 ntitled-2 1 required schools to report which graduates had long-term, fullof case facts, issues, players and strength time jobs requiring a legal degree. The new Rutgers-Newark number was 56 per cent. Amazingly, in the face of the devastating facts, new law MEDICAL MALPRACTICE schools are still opening. Since 2000, the ABA has accredPERSONAL INJURY ited 19 new ones. In Canada, there are two new law schools; Thompson Rivers University in B.C. is now open and the The experts you need, CLASS ACTION The quality you deserve. school at Lakehead University starts taking students this fall. TESTIFYING Articling students and junior lawyers, often burdened with OR CONSULTING www.CanLNCExperts.ca huge debt as a result of escalating law school tuition fees, may 855-278-9273 (toll free) be the worst off of all in the new and unpleasant world. For PLAINTIFF OR DEFENCE Experts@CanLNCExperts.ca some of them, unable to get a decent job or even an articling prOFESSiONAl DirECTOrY www.CANADIAN ntitled-2 1 L a w ye r m a g . c o m April 2013 2:30 PM 15 12-10-23 9:27 AM

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