The Destruction of Young Lawyers

Douglas Litowitz is issuing a second edition of the book The Destruction of Young Lawyers. I haven’t read the book, but this interview with him lays out his basic thesis. He argues that 5 key attributes of the legal profession are contributing to widespread unhappiness among practicing lawyers:

* law school (among other critiques, “It is outrageously expensive, boring, and doesn’t teach concrete lawyering skills”)

* the bar exam, “a totally pointless ritual of subjugation”

* “the big-firming of the profession,” where (among other things) “equity partners are like a master-class while the young associates are like wage workers hired out by the partners”

* the billable hour method of charging

* new communication “technology which has transformed the practice of law into a 24-hour quickie-mart”

I’m not sure any of these critiques are new or even especially enlightening. However, who can resist such colorful rhetoric?