National Jurist - October 2007 - (Page 31) An attack on the law firm status quo Stanford law student Andrew Canter’s manifesto is grabbing attention for its audacity ndrew Canter may just be a modernday version of David, taking on the Goliath of large law firms. This past April, the third-year law student at Stanford Law School, as co-chair of a new student group, fired off an email missive to the nation’s largest firms, and in the process shook the status quo of the billable hour, long work hours and high pay. The manifesto, as employers have dubbed it, called for law firms to change mill as a group of “Pontificating Outside Observers” and “law student whiners.” But Canter has remained firm in his resolve to champion the cause of law students who want a better work-life balance, even though he is bearing the brunt of the criticism. It helps that this summer he is not working for a large law firm. But, he says many law firms have responded positively. “Several people wanted to know what law students were feeling,” he said. “We ing issue.” Canter has been focused for some time on the relationship between billable hours and the perception that attorneys at large law firms are dissatisfied. While an undergraduate at the University By Michelle Weyenberg of Maryland, and in law school, he took courses on the legal profession. This past spring, Canter and other members first presented their findings at Stanford and University of California - Berkeley. Then they went national, with presentations at New York University and Yale Law School. More than 130 students from law schools across the nation have since joined the group, and Canter has big plans for this academic year. “I’m looking forward to the fall, when I hope we can deliver presentations to a dozen law schools and provide information on our website to schools we can’t make it to,” Canter said. He also plans to increase feedback to law firms. Canter says it’s too early to tell whether the manifesto will spur law firms to change. But he sees progress and interest from attorneys and law students. Canter himself, however, has excluded large law firms from his job search. He says his research convinced him he would not be happy in the big firm setting. “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do,” said Canter, who is pursuing a Masters in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard at the same time as his law degree at Stanford. “It could even be doing this for a couple of years. I enjoy getting to talk to students about this.” Changing the culture Andrew Canter has shaken some in the legal profession with his call for a better work-life balance. their billing system, reduce billable hour expectations, implement balanced hour policies and make work expectations clear. In return, it said students were willing to work for less money. Canter and the student group, “Law Students Building a Better Legal Profession,” were immediately crucified on blogs and through the law firm rumor talked about attrition as being the biggest issue.” Canter says his research shows that large law firms have an attrition rate over 20 percent. “How do we have a legal profession with attorneys that are satisfied and [law firms] can keep them for longer?” Canter asks. “From all sides I think it’s an interestOctober 2007 THE NATIONAL JURIST 31 To read more about Canter’s efforts with the organization, “Law Students Building a Better Legal Profession,” visit www. refirmation.wordpress.com. http://www.refirmation.wordpress.com http://www.refirmation.wordpress.com
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