<b>Professional Development University: </b>Concepts Of Justice In Literature

'Equal justice under law' ' these words, written in stone on the face of the Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, express the goal of our judicial system. But what exactly is justice, and when was the last time you and your partners and associates thought about justice as it relates to your practice?

When I was in my third year at Catholic University Law School, one of my favorite college professors, Joseph Cropsey, came to campus to give a lecture on Natural Law. I had taken two of Mr. Cropsey's courses at the University of Chicago ' Ancient Political Philosophy and Modern Political Philosophy. Those courses changed my life. Most memorable was studying Plato's Republic, in which Socrates, employing his famous method, engages his fellow Athenians in a dialogue about the nature of justice. Maybe it was because the Republic was the first work of political philosophy I had ever read, or maybe it was something about the nature of justice itself that drew me in. In any case, I experienced the power of ideas for the first time in Mr. Cropsey's course ' and it was huge.

After the lecture, I went up to Mr. Cropsey. He greeted me warmly and asked what brought me to that campus. When I told Mr. Cropsey that I was in law school, he said words I still remember: 'Oh, yes, Adele, of course. You were always interested in justice.'

I didn't reveal to Mr. Cropsey that, sadly, justice was not a concept much talked about in law school. Justice is probably even less talked about in most attorneys' practice of law, but somewhere underlying everything we do is the concept of justice or, at the very least, fairness.

The Sessions

For the past year I have presented a program (of my design) for attorneys, which I call Concepts of Justice in Literature. The primary purpose of the Concepts of Justice in Literature program is to stimulate practicing attorneys to think about and discuss justice ' justice not so much as an abstract principle but as it applies to the human situations presented in great works of literature. Participants read classic and thought-provoking short literary works, eg, Billy Budd and Benito Cereno by Herman Melville, Antigone by Sophocles, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Noon Wine by Katherine Anne Porter, and A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell ' each of which presents a situation in which a crime is committed and justice rendered, but whether the justice meted out is, in fact, just is arguable. Each work is the subject of a 1-hour discussion that takes place in-house, at the lunch hour, and includes a simple lunch. The discussions are animated with attorney participants expressing (and passionately defending) many divergent views not only respectfully, but often with humor (even relating to the inevitably grim situations that are the subject of the readings). Participants come from a variety of practice areas ' trusts and estates, finance, corporate, litigation, real estate, and even taxation. Clients of the firm who are attorneys are also part of the group.

Administratively, I make the sessions as easy and convenient as possible for the participants by supplying the texts and other relevant materials for the sessions, arranging for the lunch, and making required MCLE filings. (Oh, yes. Concepts of Justice in Literature is approved for MCLE credit in Rhode Island ' one credit for each 1-hour discussion.)

From the attorney participants' feedback, I have come to understand that Concepts of Justice in Literature serves another, less intellectual, but equally important, purpose. The attorneys are enthusiastic about the sessions; they have been known to continue the discussion, not only of the issues but also of the sessions themselves, both in and outside the office. The attorneys look forward to the sessions; they very much appreciate the informal, yet scholarly, interludes as opportunities to exchange ideas with their colleagues on matters other than the day-to-day business of their practice.

Concepts of Justice in Literature was extremely well received; after the three initial sessions, the group asked for more and 100% of the participants signed up for a second, and now a third, three-session series.

A Final Word

Amid the multiplicity of administrative demands on their time and the stress of daily responsibilities, it is easy for attorneys to lose sight of the fact that working for justice is at the heart of so much of what they do. Concepts of Justice in Literature is designed to renew that focus on justice. By bringing attorneys together to discuss great literature, Concepts of Justice in Literature also affords attorneys the pleasure of discovering the intelligence, insight, and wit their colleagues bring to bear on topics other than the narrowly professional, along with the related pleasure of connecting with colleagues over lunch ' a simple enjoyment sadly too often a relic of an earlier, less pressured time. And, in addition to being a convenient way for attorneys to earn MCLE credit, Concepts of Justice in Literature may very well elevate some attorneys' practice by inspiring them with enhanced pride in themselves and their work.

'Equal justice under law' ' these words, written in stone on the face of the Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, express the goal of our judicial system. But what exactly is justice, and when was the last time you and your partners and associates thought about justice as it relates to your practice?

When I was in my third year at Catholic University Law School, one of my favorite college professors, Joseph Cropsey, came to campus to give a lecture on Natural Law. I had taken two of Mr. Cropsey's courses at the University of Chicago ' Ancient Political Philosophy and Modern Political Philosophy. Those courses changed my life. Most memorable was studying Plato's Republic, in which Socrates, employing his famous method, engages his fellow Athenians in a dialogue about the nature of justice. Maybe it was because the Republic was the first work of political philosophy I had ever read, or maybe it was something about the nature of justice itself that drew me in. In any case, I experienced the power of ideas for the first time in Mr. Cropsey's course ' and it was huge.

After the lecture, I went up to Mr. Cropsey. He greeted me warmly and asked what brought me to that campus. When I told Mr. Cropsey that I was in law school, he said words I still remember: 'Oh, yes, Adele, of course. You were always interested in justice.'

I didn't reveal to Mr. Cropsey that, sadly, justice was not a concept much talked about in law school. Justice is probably even less talked about in most attorneys' practice of law, but somewhere underlying everything we do is the concept of justice or, at the very least, fairness.

The Sessions

For the past year I have presented a program (of my design) for attorneys, which I call Concepts of Justice in Literature. The primary purpose of the Concepts of Justice in Literature program is to stimulate practicing attorneys to think about and discuss justice ' justice not so much as an abstract principle but as it applies to the human situations presented in great works of literature. Participants read classic and thought-provoking short literary works, eg, Billy Budd and Benito Cereno by Herman Melville, Antigone by Sophocles, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Noon Wine by Katherine Anne Porter, and A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell ' each of which presents a situation in which a crime is committed and justice rendered, but whether the justice meted out is, in fact, just is arguable. Each work is the subject of a 1-hour discussion that takes place in-house, at the lunch hour, and includes a simple lunch. The discussions are animated with attorney participants expressing (and passionately defending) many divergent views not only respectfully, but often with humor (even relating to the inevitably grim situations that are the subject of the readings). Participants come from a variety of practice areas ' trusts and estates, finance, corporate, litigation, real estate, and even taxation. Clients of the firm who are attorneys are also part of the group.

Administratively, I make the sessions as easy and convenient as possible for the participants by supplying the texts and other relevant materials for the sessions, arranging for the lunch, and making required MCLE filings. (Oh, yes. Concepts of Justice in Literature is approved for MCLE credit in Rhode Island ' one credit for each 1-hour discussion.)

From the attorney participants' feedback, I have come to understand that Concepts of Justice in Literature serves another, less intellectual, but equally important, purpose. The attorneys are enthusiastic about the sessions; they have been known to continue the discussion, not only of the issues but also of the sessions themselves, both in and outside the office. The attorneys look forward to the sessions; they very much appreciate the informal, yet scholarly, interludes as opportunities to exchange ideas with their colleagues on matters other than the day-to-day business of their practice.

Concepts of Justice in Literature was extremely well received; after the three initial sessions, the group asked for more and 100% of the participants signed up for a second, and now a third, three-session series.

A Final Word

Amid the multiplicity of administrative demands on their time and the stress of daily responsibilities, it is easy for attorneys to lose sight of the fact that working for justice is at the heart of so much of what they do. Concepts of Justice in Literature is designed to renew that focus on justice. By bringing attorneys together to discuss great literature, Concepts of Justice in Literature also affords attorneys the pleasure of discovering the intelligence, insight, and wit their colleagues bring to bear on topics other than the narrowly professional, along with the related pleasure of connecting with colleagues over lunch ' a simple enjoyment sadly too often a relic of an earlier, less pressured time. And, in addition to being a convenient way for attorneys to earn MCLE credit, Concepts of Justice in Literature may very well elevate some attorneys' practice by inspiring them with enhanced pride in themselves and their work.