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I have direct and very recent experience with the patent group at the firm mentioned in the article (WSGR) because my company is suing their client, but I think

I have direct and very recent experience with the patent group at the firm mentioned in the article (WSGR) because my company is suing their client, but I think the following needs to be stated about all law firms. True, law is an incredibly stressful profession. True, it selects for competitive people. True, the hours can be crushing. But few other professions reward individuals for lying so much. Patent lawyers and most other lawyers lie day in, day out. Often their job cannot be done without lying. They lie to clients (overbilling), colleagues (opposing counsel), judges at every level, and as the article points out, their families. Often the lies are in print. It's essentially a prerequisite to rationalize these lies as "argumentation" or viewpoint, but often they're just lies. For most people who are not complete sociopaths, lying takes a toll. It's not at all surprising to see that it can add up in frightening ways.

drtillberg 9y ago
Lawyering done with a high degree of skill and latitude involves none of these things. I recognize the critique, at least from a distance, as a dysfunction caused by practicing in a high-stakes environment without the ability to persuade clients to take reasonable and just positions. Once upon a time bar association had fee schedules to ensure that one would not find any particular representation so lucrative as to apply pressure of this kind. I also will say that law schools do not necessarily encourage budding lawyers to cabin their argumentation, which unfortunately promotes a 'say anything' approach by younger lawyers like you describe. It's effective only in the short term.