Flash forward to 14 years later in 2023 and I found this engaging thread above discussing the very same issues we discussed in class this semester. Should we be part of the big law machinery and change it or should we opt out of fit? What does evil really mean (something we explored in our discussion of cannibalism)? It's fascinating to see how law students from a different generation struggled with the same issues we're struggling with now. On the one hand, it can be disheartening to know that we still haven't found resolutions to the challenges that troubled the seniors before us. On the other hand, I feel a sense of camaraderie reading through this. Even small reactions here resembled mine - for example, Andrew's comment that effective as a lawyer Robinson was, he did not seem happy.

There are many thought-provoking things discussed here but the "if not me, then someone else" rationale for going into big law struck me. This was the same rationale that I provided to Professor Moglen in office hours in a discussion about interning at the DA's office this summer. This sort of reasoning, though, is a justification for going into a certain career like corporate law and not the motivation behind it. Much like the conversations we had in class this year, we law students persistently sense the need to defend a decision to go into corporate law rather than proudly declare an affirmative motivation for going into it. I don't think this thread has arrived at a definitive answer as to whether being a corporate lawyer is immoral but, clearly, there seems to be something that bothers our conscience as law students (even across generations) about going into big law.

-- HoDongChyung - 21 May 2023