The Soul of the Law

We are living in a time when the soul is being drained from the very social institutions that are supposed to be preserving life and values. One of these institutions is the law. But this once respected profession has become sick in its soul. The problems in our legal system, our negative attitudes toward lawyers, and the skyrocketing number of lawsuits are symptomatic of a deeper malaise in our society. We fear anarchy and individualism, so we push for more and tougher laws; we have lost the ability to communicate with our fellow citizens, so we hire lawyers to do our negotiating for us; we feel we are not being heard, so we seek court judgments to validate our views. Using the law to mirror the rest of society, Sells addresses issues that face people in all walks of life workaholism, stress, fear of failure, ethical dilemmas, and "the bottom line" - and explores the loss of meaning, not only in the law, but in business, politics, and our everyday lives. As he points out what has gone wrong and why, he also offers ways to bring fundamental ideals and passion back into our work, and helps us balance our personal and professional lives.a.