Most people a hundred years ago thought there were far too many lawyers in this country, and too many new law graduates each year.
Of the 150 or so law schools then, at least a half dozen had more than 500 enrollees, and many of the young hopefuls across the country were taking on alarming amounts of debt in exchange for a hoped-for law degree.
It was in this eerily familiar setting that Arthur M. Harris wrote Letters to a Young Lawyer.
Harris, a lawyer himself, sent the eighteen letters to his son, then a law student. The son had the foresight to keep them, and the result is this American classic, first published in 1912.
The 100th Anniversary Edition has been completely reformatted in an easy-to-read package that will be familiar to today’s audiences.
Harris’ examination of the legal profession and the business of the law are astounding and thoroughly modern. His words could have appeared in today’s morning paper or in a professional blog.
Adapted from the introduction to “Letters to a Young Lawyer, 100th Anniversary Edition,” available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions.
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