Law institutionalizes the morality of our culture. By this we do not mean to join the discussion of whether it is possible or wise to legislate sexual mores and consumption habits. We are concerned with a broader understanding of morality — how we should relate to one another (landlord and tenant, husband and wife, employer and employee), how we should act (honor oral agreements, label poisonous products, pay child support), what rights we should have (to move about freely, enter into contracts, run for public office), in what proportions we should share in the wealth and power of society (investment tax credits, farm subsidies, collective bargaining). In this broad sense, the legal system articulates, sanctifies, and enforces our values. Because the legal system is itself a moral system which intimately affects our lives, there is reason to be concerned about the moral world view of lawyers who are its chief guardians and manipulators. Since the legal system and lawyers are inseparable, the moral orientation of lawyers has greater impact on the general public than the moral orientation of most others. To put it simply, the moral perspective of attorneys affects a system that in turn affects all of us.

How each lawyer influences the legal system is complicated and varies from case to case.