Law Heroes? You’re Kidding, Right?

March 23rd, 2012. By AbiK

Just came across a post over at bestcollegesonline.com that looks at lawyers—ok, not your average everyday lawyers, admittedly—as would-be caped-crusaders for the law school set—historical industry heroes to look up to the way techies idolize Steve Jobs or advertising students admire David Ogilvy.

In an age where lawyers have been associated with phrases like “ambulance-chaser” and a few bad eggs have filed outrageously frivolous lawsuits that the media has had a field day with, it’s important to know that many—most—trial lawyers go about seeking justice and championing human rights quietly—and under the radar. For a few current examples, check out the lawyers we’ve profiled in our Lawyers Giving Back interviews.

The list of lawyers profiled over at bestcollegesonline.com includes some heavy-hitters—folks like Sir Thomas More (can’t get much more ‘heavy hitter’ than being named “Lawyer of the Millennium”) and Giovanni Falcone who both lost their lives as a result of their work (there’s a concept: lawyer as martyr). But here’s the full list—note, some are/were not members of the bar, but legal heroes none the less:

• John Quincy Adams
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Clarence Darrow
• Sir Sydney Kentridge
• Robert F. Kennedy
• Earl Warren
• Florence Kelley
• Giovanni Falcone
• John Lilburne
• William Kunstler
• Sir Thomas More
• Erin Brockovich

There are undoubtedly many more lawyers who could be included on the list–but it was nice to see a positive profile on the legal profession, along with some individuals whose legal careers and contributions law students today should aspire to.

Tags: Clarence Darrow, Earl Warren, Erin Brockovich, Florence Kelley, Giovanni Falcone, John Lilburne, John Quincy Adams, law heroes, Law School, law students, Lawyers Giving Back, legal heroes, Robert F. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sir Sydney Kentridge, Sir Thomas More, William Kunstler

This was posted on Friday, March 23rd, 2012 at 3:13 pm and is filed under Emerging Issues . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.