Economics of Law Practice Seminar 2000
University of Iowa College of Law
Fall 2000
Nicholas Johnson

Reading Assignments

NOTE:  These assignments will be expanded during the course of the semester -- primarily with the additional suggestions from seminar participants. -- Nicholas Johnson, August 5, 8, 21, 23 and 24, 2000.

All students are encouraged, if you have not yet done so, to read "So You Want to be a Lawyer: A Play in Four Acts." It will give you some insight into the standards the instructor will be applying to your work product.

First class session, August 24, 2000, 3:30-5:30 p.m. An overview, with emphasis on American lawyers.

Begin with the article "Legal Profession" in the Encyclopedia Britannica Online. The link goes to the article in the online edition; it may also be read in any library's hardbound edition. Note that the online version begins with the linked page, but continues to two additional pages from the initial page's "Next" link.

Although not assigned, you might enjoy for a humorous interlude and contrast, "A Short History of Lawyers."

American Bar Foundation, "The Legal Profession: Chicago Lawyers II."

University of Louisville, University Archives and Records Center, "Women in the Legal Profession." This site contains the written transcripts of an oral history project involving 19 Kentucky women lawyers. Read any four of your choice, and be prepared to share such insights as they provide you with the class.

Second class session, August 31, 2000. We begin our overview of comparative legal systems and the role of lawyers. This is designed to serve two purposes: to open our minds to a wider possible range of lawyers' roles, and to prepare you for what will, inevitably, be a much more global focus to your law practice than would have been the case 50 years ago.
For a brief British view click through and read the Ivanhoe Career Guides publication, Legal Profession. The Foreword. The full Contents. Nigel Savage, "Part 1 - An Overview of the Legal Profession." Michael Page Legal, "Part 4 - The Qualified Career."  And "Part 5 - Becoming a Barrister." And see "Law Rights."
Cynthia Losure Baraban, "Inspiring Global Professionalism: Challenges and Opportunities for American Lawyers in China." Given the fact that one out of every four persons in the world is Chinese, the likelihood of your being involved in some way with Chinese law and lawyers during the course of your lifetime is high. This article provides insights into the history of the changing role of lawyers in China, the nation's legal system, and some tips on how you can be most effective representing your clients' interests there.

Two single pages from the Daini Tokyo Bar Association present the mission and some of the history of lawyers in Japan -- the United States' largest overseas trading partner. Brief as it is, you will see some of the basis for some of the characteristics of the Chinese system Baraban describes.

"Internationalization of Legal Values and Legal Practices," an ABA Foundation publication, briefly refers to Latin America, Korea, India, Hungary, Russia and South Africa.