by Traverse Legal, reviewed by Enrico Schaefer - November 7, 2006 - Uncategorized
Institutions are everywhere. Some are political, others are religious. The Bar Association is an institution. Even what we know is the legal profession, acts as an institution.
Institutions have all sorts of norms and rules which govern conduct and act to control behavior. Many institutions do so on the basis of morality or, in the case of the legal profession, ethics. Subtle and not so subtle pressures exist to keep everyone within the legal profession in a small tight box. Lawyers who step out that box are minumized, laughed at and shunned. In some instances, the institution actively seeks to attack the credibility of those who challenge the core precepts of the institution.
There was a time when institutions provided insulation against anarchistic behavior. Anarchistic behavior was perceived as bad. But innovation is only one step removed from anarchy. It is my belief that technology will in many ways erode the power which institutions have on our society. To the extent that you believe innovation and diversity are the core of capitalism, then we may actually be on the verge, for the very first time in American history, of true capitalism. As institutions lose their strangle hold on society and professions such as the law, market choices will increase. Discussions about what our society and the legal profession should look like will thrive. The institutions themselves will be challenged on intellectual, social and philosophical grounds.
Isn’t that what is happening right now in the blogosphere? Aren’t we seeing communities of like minded people banding together and entertaining national discussions about issues in ways that were never possible before?
As a founding partner of Traverse Legal, PLC, he has more than thirty years of experience as an attorney for both established companies and emerging start-ups. His extensive experience includes navigating technology law matters and complex litigation throughout the United States.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Enrico Schaefer, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a practicing Business, IP, and Technology Law litigation attorney.
