cover image Moral Vision and Professional Decisions

Moral Vision and Professional Decisions

Rand Jack. Cambridge University Press, $120 (236pp) ISBN 978-0-521-37161-2

To research this incisive study of ``lawyers' moral values and psychological development'' in light of potentially influential gender differences as law draws increasing numbers of women into its ranks, Rand Jack, an attorney, and his coauthor wife, a developmental psychologist, interviewed 36 lawyers practicing in Washington State. They raised such issues as ``How do attorneys reconcile personal values with the conflicting demands and obligations of their trade?'' and ``Do women bring a different point of view to the practice of law?'' They conclude that women lawyers often battle for ``women's causes'' and challenge their allegedly more aggressive and amoral male counterparts in a quest for sensitive, caring practice of their trade. The authors also discuss how lawyers of each gender cope with the gap between professional and personal morality, and suggest that the influx of female attorneys may help to bridge this gap. (Sept.)