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1. LAWCROSSING
THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF LEGAL JOBS ON EARTH
LAW STAR www.lawcrossing.com 1. 800.973.1177
Marc Galanter, John and Rylla Bosshard Professor
of Law and Professor of South Asian Studies at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison and LSE
Centennial Professor at the London School of
Economics and Political Science.
[by Regan Morris]
What do you call 600 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A good start. Considered one of the leading American Galanter’s published studies include “Why
experts on Indian law, Galanter went to India the ‘Haves’ Come Out Ahead: Speculations
This week, LawCrossing speaks with law on a Fulbright scholarship after graduating on the Limits of Legal Change,” an oft-cited
professor Marc Galanter, the author of a new from the University of Chicago Law School article in legal literature. Along with Thomas
book dealing with the increasingly popular in 1956. Palay, he co-authored Tournament of
and hostile lawyer jokes, about his career as Lawyers, which chronicles and explains the
a professor, writer, and expert in Indian law. “I was always interested in India; and back growth and transformation of large law firms
then, there was [former Indian Prime in the United States.
In Lowering the Bar: Lawyer Jokes & Legal
Minister Jawaharlal] Nehru. It was an
Culture, law professor Marc Galanter exciting time,” he said. His books on India include Competing
documents and analyzes legal jokes, which Equalities: Law and the Backward Classes in
he says have become more prevalent and India and Law and Society in Modern India.
“Going to India is like shifting from black
biting since the mid 1980s. With the rise Galanter is also an honorary professor of the
and white to Technicolor. It’s the incredible
of technology and increasing numbers of National Law School of India, and he served
vividness of everything, and what the Indians
lawyers, Galanter said there is often a public as advisor to the Ford Foundation on legal
have accomplished by creating constitutional
perception about lawyers being greedy or too services and human rights programs in India.
liberty and rule of law is one of the greatest
powerful. He said that attorneys should try
legal accomplishments of our time.”
not to take the jokes personally. For attorneys interested in a career in
academia, Galanter advises that they not wait
Galanter said he became the leading
Because some people would give more too long to start publishing articles.
American expert on Indian law because “no
regard to a snake than to an attorney, he said
one else was interested at the time.” Still,
that people in the legal profession should “I write a lot, and that’s what I love to do,”
he thinks that the increasing interest in
work to change the negative perception. he said.
India will create much closer ties between
India and the United States. He also served
So why exactly have lawyer jokes become so “When practitioners come to a law school
as a legal adviser to the Indian government
popular? the question is, ‘Are they going to be able to
for litigation surrounding the Bhopal gas
produce academic writing?’
“I’ve always liked jokes. These jokes are a disaster in 1984.
part of our world, but we really don’t quite “Even though they’ve written a lot of briefs
understand why,” he said. Galanter’s expertise goes beyond India and
and so forth, it’s still a question. I would say
joke books. He is a prolific writer and teaches
faculties hate not giving tenure; they hate to
“Figuring this out is very, very gratifying. It various courses in civil procedure, contracts,
turn someone down for tenure.”
was a fun project to do—to take a piece of dispute settlement, and the sociology of
the world that you’ve never really questioned law. He is a passionate student of litigation,
Galanter noted that faculties will want
or focused on very much, to figure out a lawyers, and legal culture.
assurance that new hires will be able to
pattern.”
produce quality writing; hence, writing is the
Originally from Philadelphia, Galanter
best way to get a professorial position.
Galanter, a professor at the University of studied philosophy as an undergraduate
Wisconsin-Madison, has been collecting student at the University of Chicago and only
Galanter has been with the University of
legal jokes for about 15 years, and Lowering decided to go to law school once he realized
Wisconsin since 1975, and he also teaches at
the Bar is just one of the many books he has he did not want to become a philosopher.
the London School of Economics and Political
written.
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2. LAWCROSSING
THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF LEGAL JOBS ON EARTH
LAW STAR www.lawcrossing.com 1. 800.973.1177
Science. He has also taught at the University in other postgraduate fields, law professors really get a free pass to talk about all kinds
at Buffalo Law School, the University of grade their own students’ exams and are not of issues as if they were experts,” he said.
Chicago Law School, Columbia University allowed to hire graduate students to do the
School of Law, and Stanford Law School. work for them. “No, they’re not experts; they’re kind of
generalists. I’m sure they’re experts about
“People want to hire people they think will “When you’re teaching a big class, reading a some things, but they get to talk about all
succeed, so you’ve got to show them you can three-hour exam for 120 people can kill your kinds of things.”
do this,” he said. winter vacation,” he said.
Galanter said that although he is often asked
“I will say one thing though: Being a law He also said that another perk of being a to comment on the litigation explosion or
professor is a really good deal. It’s a law professor is that you are often asked to general topics about the legal profession, he
tremendous job with lots of intellectual comment on events in the media. is rarely asked about India.
stimulation.”
“Society sort of tolerates law professors
Galanter said that the only downside to mouthing off as experts on anything. People
teaching law is the exams. Unlike professors expect them to be able to. Law professors
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