Lawyer Nation - by Ray Brescia (Hardcover)

About the Book

"At this time of tumultuous change and threats to the rule of law in the United States, Lawyer Nation explores the critical role that American lawyers have played since the nation's founding, and the role they must play today and in the future, in defending and advancing justice and inclusion in our multi-racial democracy"--

Book Synopsis

Explores the critical role that American lawyers have played since the nation's founding and what the future holds for the profession

The American legal profession faces significant challenges: the changing nature of work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; calls for greater racial and gender justice; threats to democracy; the inaccessibility of legal services for the majority of Americans; the risk of obsolescence owing to the emergence of new technologies; and the disaffection many lawyers feel toward their work.

Ambitious in its scope yet straightforward in its approach, Lawyer Nation seeks to address these crises by offering a path forward for the legal profession. Ray Brescia provides concrete ideas for transforming law into a field whose services are accessible, egalitarian, and viable in the long term. Further, he addresses how the profession can improve so that the health of its practitioners is not compromised in the process. If the legal profession does not respond to its crises in an effective way, he argues, the dysfunction and unfairness plaguing the legal world will deepen. This is an unprecedented opportunity for the world of law to reimagine its future in way that honors its highest ideals: preserving the rule of law, protecting individual liberty, and addressing social inequality in all of its forms.

Review Quotes

"Americans have long been ruled by lawyers, good and bad, even as that profession has become increasingly alienated from its own work. Unfairness and dysfunction haunt the legal world, as critical legal services have grown tragically inaccessible for those who need it most. In this surprisingly hopeful book, a dedicated public interest scholar and lawyer looks backwards and forward to unpack the historical strands that caused this breakdown, but also map an institutional path whereby our legal profession can better honor its ideals of professionalism, access and inclusion."--Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law and former Dean, Yale Law School; former Legal Adviser and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. State Department

"Brescia makes a convincing case that the legal profession must take massive strides toward reform now ... A powerful examination of the U.S. legal field."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"In these harrowing times, as the nation careens from crisis to crisis, lawyers--for better or worse--are in the thick of the tumult. In this sweeping book, Ray Brescia explains how we got here. In a volume that is both accessible and incisive, Brescia canvasses the historic highs and lows of the American legal profession, while also setting the agenda for a more hopeful future in which lawyers will play a crucial role in scaffolding and upholding the infrastructure of democracy. This is essential reading for lawyers and those who believe in the rule of law."--Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law, New York University School of Law

"The American legal profession is broken, with serious consequences for our democracy and society as well as for the many lawyers who report deep professional dissatisfaction. In his tightly reasoned analysis, Professor Brescia traces the history of the profession's periodic legitimacy crises and offers sound and practical suggestions for solving the current malaise afflicting the profession. His book is an important one for anyone interested in the health of the legal profession, the well-being of individual lawyers, the rule of law, and the stability of American society."--William D. Araiza, Stanley A. August Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School

"With Lawyer Nation, Ray Brescia analyzes the worst crisis of confidence that the American legal profession has faced since Watergate and explores how to regain public trust. This timely and engaging book is a must-read for practitioners and academics who are training the next generation of attorneys."--Jennifer Taub, author of Big Dirty Money

About the Author

Ray Brescia is the Associate Dean for Research & Intellectual Life and the Hon. Harold R. Tyler Professor in Law & Technology at Albany Law School. He is the author of Lawyer Nation: The Past, Present, and Future of the American Legal Profession and The Future of Change: How Technology Shapes Social Revolutions; and editor of Crisis Lawyering: Effective Legal Advocacy in Emergency Situations; and How Cities Will Save the World: Urban Innovation in the Face of Population Flows, Climate Change, and Economic Inequality.