Soul of the Law: Understanding the Psychology of Lawyers and the Law

A must read for lawyers and law students. Wow! I first read Benjamin Sell's extraordinarily crafted "Soul of the Law" -- part anthropological study, part social commentary, part psychological self-help book -- as a young lawyer fresh out of a judicial clerkship, while searching for a firm job. It blew me away! What a grim portrait of the legal profession; of lawyers; of our legal system. Grim...Yes. But very telling! Had I read this book prior to enrolling in law school, I probably would never have went. With three years of my life invested, and a hundred-or-so grand in education loans to pay back, I deduced that I had no choice but to land that firm job. But the lawyer of today does not have to let his career consume him, the book ultimately teaches us. Purpose and fullfilment are, believe it or not, out there...maybe. "Soul of the Law" conjures the queries: Is it the dysfunctional profession that breeds dysfunctional lawyers, or did the egg come before the chicken? How do these undeniable professional dysfunctions impact the American justice system? Is the profession on a slippery slope to hell, or is there hope? Can a lawyer today lead a quiet, normal, happy life in spite of the profession's dysfunctions? If you're a lawyer, real "Soul of the Law". You'll relate! If you're a law student or a candidate for law school, you'll run for cover!

This book is a must read for anyone who ever contemplates the law or being a lawyer. Especially for anyone thinking about attending law school! Sells, along with Thomas Moore, relates the imaginative language of Archetypal Psychology to the mainstream in this insightful discourse.

A timely contribution to the Law. Without soul we are nothing. The pain and loss many lawyers are confronting and the open hostility in the law by consumers has to change. This work is a start of a journey to renew the law's soul. Best Practice may be the bridge between the lawyer and the consumer thereby helping to heal the soul of the law? I would welcome comment on this point.