Clients, Courts, and Calling: Rethinking the Practice of Law

Abstract

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meets."

The work of a lawyer is referred to by many names - it is a job, an occupation, a career, and a profession. Each of these words captures something true and important about being a lawyer. But is it possible to approach the practice of law as something else, something more than a job or a career or even a profession? Can law be viewed as a form of service, a kind of ministry? To explore these questions, I propose to examine the practice of law through the lens of the religious doctrine of calling or vocation (I will use the words interchangeably). This article will consider several related issues: What is a calling? Is law a calling? If so, what are the implications for lawyers? And how does the idea of a calling promote an understanding of legal practice as a form of healing?