Can the Ordinary Practice of Law Be a Religious Vocation? A Panelist's Response

Abstract

"Can the ordinary practice of law be a religious calling?" The rhetorical question posited by Professor Robert F. Cochran, Jr. provoked considerable reflection at a recent conference. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Coast seen from the cliffs of Malibu upon which Pepperdine University Law School sits, and aided by the stimulating keynote addresses and panel responses, law students and lawyers alike grappled with the implications of a vocational approach to the practice of law. Out of the discussions emerged one overarching theme, the concept of intentionality. This essay, like Professor Cochran's question, concentrates on the daily approach to the practice/study of law and not the larger juridical or philosophical questions raised by an examination of religion and law.