Legal Profession and Stratification Ironically,

¶ … Legal Profession and Stratification Ironically, while the law is designed to be one of the great leveling agents of American society, the study and practice of law has become one of the most stratified professions in American society. There are vast discrepancies between the quality of students admitted to various law schools based upon the entering applicants LSATs and GPAs, as well as the exiting salaries of those same candidates.

Polls show the lack of respect various legal professionals receive upon leaving law school, depending on what and where these professionals wish to practice. The stratification of legal salaries, in terms of corporate and public interest attorneys, of quality of law schools, of salaries of lawyers who reside in different geographical location, and increasingly different specializations simply within the profession itself can only bode ill for the American justice system.

In terms of the quality of legal representation and increasingly specialized emphasis of different attorneys, it is more and more difficult for ordinary Americans, much less indigent Americans, to receive quality legal representation. One lawyer specializing in legal ethics notes "today the legal profession" is larger and more "diverse and specialized," than ever before in its history. (Newton, 2005) but more diversity and selection does not always lead to better quality attorneys.

In fact, what has happened is "that certain previously accepted norms of conduct or morality" have become "strained" between attorneys given the diversity of kinds of practice of law, and the different levels of proffered legal representation in different areas of the country. The expanding numbers of lawyers in the country mean that the best lawyers can pick and chose the best salaries -- usually exorbitant ones in the Northeast.

(Newton, 2005) stratified profession is also less ethically accountable from the lawyer's perspective -- and as lawyers are more specialized, they understand less and less of what their colleagues are doing. From a client's point-of-view these factors they can be less certain that they are receiving quality legal representation, depending on how much they can pay, where they live, and the ethics of the specific legal segment they are dealing with, in the profession. Diversity of specialization thus is not necessarily client friendly.

Despite the increased stress upon minority recruitment in many law school environments, the stratification of different ranks of lawyers beyond that of race has become increasingly common early on in legal education, given the vast variations in reputations between different schools. (LSAC, 2005) Diversity of faces may be a bonus, but not necessarily an early diversity of legal specialists. Of course, the American Bar Association sets specific standards for legal education. It notes in its curriculum statement that the past years have "been a decade of dynamism in legal education.

From the first year required curriculum through upper division electives, law schools have revised the configuration of courses, increased emphasis in skills and professionalism, and added opportunities in electives, specializations and other degree granting offerings." But added specialization of electives also means varying levels of legal quality in the basics of law as well as greater specialization at an earlier career juncture for most law students.

One attorney notes that the changing practice and professional emphasis of law on specialization has also created a change in the culture of many law firms. He states that there has been stratification between old and new members of the profession, as much larger portion of law practice is carried on in large organizations. Those at the top of these hierarchical structures feel removed from the day-to-day practice that they increasingly do not understand and those at the bottom "feel a loss of community and autonomy.

Everyone finds less warmth and collegiality." Lawyers themselves do not like this, notes Cramton, citing attorneys who complain, "When we have a firm party, we have to have name tags." Furthermore, the fragmentation of the profession given the development of technical specialties has also fragmented the mentorship system of old and new attorneys, making it difficult for established practitioners to understand or to evaluate what younger attorneys within the same firm are working on.

(Cramton, 2005) All in all, a legal profession that is increasingly stratified by experience, by the perceived quality of different legal educations at different law schools, by increased specialization and even simply by different salaries in geographical isolation creates a less responsive profession. Even isolation of specialists within a single firm cab means that the profession is less.