Lawyers in Politics
The Practice
November 2015/December 2023
Lawyers’ dominance in Congress is in a slow but steady decline. What does this mean for lawyers' influence in society and the profession as a whole?
November 2015/December 2023
Declining Dominance
Lawyers’ dominance in Congress is in a slow but steady decline. The decline of lawyers in the U.S. Congress, as well as in other segments of elected office, will undoubtedly impact the profession’s public and self-identity, which has long been intertwined with elected office and political leadership.
Politics Outside of Office
Newly released data provides strong evidence that lawyers are no longer as dominant as they once were in many sectors of elected U.S. political office. Similarly, there is increasing evidence that, far from forming the next generation of elected officials, law students and newly minted lawyers are shunning political office due to the perceived high costs and low rewards.
Running for—or from—Office?
The Practice interviewed two current Harvard Law School 3L’s, Sara Murphy and Thea Sebastian, on their decisions to attend law school and their views on a potential run for office. Both Murphy and Sebastian majored in political science as undergraduates and Sebastian worked within politics between undergrad and law school. While both have seriously considered running for office, this is rare amongst law students.
Economic Inequality
Nobel Prize–winning economist Joseph Stiglitz’s book, "The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them," takes America to task on the inequality issue, arguing that economic equality has been a choice, not an unexpected outcome. And Federal Reserve economists Jeffrey Thompson and Gustavo Suarez highlight troubling trends related to the racial wealth gap in the United States.
Lowering Law School Standards; Lawyers Lacking Influence?
Recent statistics are confirming what has become an all-too-familiar tale: enrollment in law school is down, the entry qualifications of students attending accredited law schools are falling, bar exam passage rates are declining, and law school graduates’ student debt is rising. Law schools facing the lowest enrollments in decades are responding to this quadruple threat through a variety of approaches.
A Presidential Run
Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at HLS and the former director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. Lessig was a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president of the United States in 2016, raising more than $1 million on a platform centered on campaign finance reform. Lessig sat down for a conversation with David B. Wilkins on lawyers in politics.
Lawyers in Politics
Deval Patrick was the 71st governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, serving from 2007 to 2015. Patrick has held major positions throughout the legal profession. Patrick recently sat down with David B. Wilkins, director of the Center on the Legal Profession, for a one-on-one conversation on lawyers in politics.