" But added specialization of electives also means varying levels of legal quality in the basics of law as well as greater specialization at an earlier career juncture for most law students. One attorney notes that the changing practice and professional emphasis of law on specialization has also created a change in the culture of many law firms. He states that there has been stratification between old and new members of the profession, as much larger portion of law practice is carried on in large organizations. Those at the top of these hierarchical structures feel removed from the day-to-day practice that they increasingly do not understand and those at the bottom "feel a loss of community and autonomy. Everyone finds less warmth and collegiality." Lawyers themselves do not like this, notes Cramton, citing attorneys who complain, "When we have a firm party, we have to have name tags." Furthermore, the fragmentation of the profession given the development of technical specialties has also fragmented the mentorship system of old and new attorneys, making it difficult for established practitioners to understand or to evaluate what younger attorneys within the same firm are working on. (Cramton, 2005)

All in all, a legal profession that is increasingly stratified by experience, by the perceived quality of different legal educations at different law schools, by increased specialization and even simply by different salaries in geographical isolation creates a less responsive profession....

Even isolation of specialists within a single firm cab means that the profession is less accountable and less accessible. "The pollsters tell us that the general public has a low respect for the morality of lawyers," while "legal ethics and the rules of professional responsibility inform us on the particular obligations of our profession," to raise those expectations. (Reavley, 2005) Moreover, the legal profession also has a moral duty to engage in rigorous self-examination and to insure that the legal rights and expectations of all Americans remain protected, not simply those who are privy to the best specialists of a now dangerously stratified profession.
Works Cited

A.B.A. (2005) "Curriculum Survey." American Bar Association Publication. Retrieved 2 Jul 2005 at http://www.abanet.org/legaled/publications/curriculumsurvey/executivesummary.pdfRoger

Cramton, C. (2005) "The Lawyer as a Professional." Texas Legal Ethics Institute Retrieved 2 Jul 2005 at http://www.txethics.org/resources_lawyerprofessional.asp?view=2Cramton

LSAC. "F&Q for minority students." Retrieved 2 Jul 2005 at http://www.lsac.org/

Newton, Frank W. "Crisis in the Legal Profession." Texas Legal Ethics Institute. Retrieved 2 Jul 2005 at http://www.txethics.org/resources_lawyerprofessional.asp?view=1Newton

Reavley, Thomas M. "A Perspective on the Moral Responsibility of Lawyers. http://www.txethics.org/resources_lawyerprofessional.asp?view=2Reavley