No cause for celebration
David Currie’s glorification of the U of C Law School (“Just Cause,” June/03) would lead one to infer that all is well in the legal profession in general, and especially at the U of C. Such is understandable, given his position and purpose, but it’s highly inaccurate to describe the profession in glowing terms. In short, this self-serving profession has society in an ever-tightening death grip from which escape seems most unlikely. Any attempt to reform legal practices must involve legislature and judiciary, neither being the least interested in rocking their own luxury liner. Trial lawyers ensure that we have the best legislature money can buy—by buying it themselves.

That said, I’d like to adapt some more of Gilbert’s Lord Chancellor in Iolanthe, as did Mr. Currie, but to an opposite end:

And later in a patter song:

To clarify: I have no bone to pick with the U of C Law School; it may be at the high end of its spectrum. The profession, however, is a large, growing cancer on the body politic. This opinion is not the result of terrible experience(s) with lawyers, but has been formed by observing the downward-changing social scene in our country.

Bruce W. Tennant, MBA’57
Bluffton, South Carolina