Anarchy and Elegance: Confessions of a Journalist at Yale Law School [Paperback]

Chris Goodrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2003

Anarchy and Elegance has been called "the most creative book on law school in recent memory" (John Jay Osborne, author of The Paper Chase) and "A perceptive and insightful inside look at one of America's most influential institutions" (Charles A. Reich, former Yale Law professor and author of The Greening of America); "No one should go to law School without reading this book," says self-help law publisher Ralph Warner. Goodrich, taking readers through Yale Law's first-year curriculum and culture, demonstrates how learning to "think like a lawyer" can be both exhilarating and damaging.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Early on in this passionate, highly lucid account of a year in law school, the author remarks on a carving above an entrance to the Law School complex: "It showed a student collapsed from too much drink, spiders wrapping him in webs." The image of the web--like the law, embodying an outward pattern of elegance but hiding a kind of anarchy within--will recur. Indeed, it is a strength of the writing that the law--which otherwise might not seem the most compelling of subjects for a general readership--catches both author and reader in its web. We follow Goodrich, a journalist and PW contributing editor, through the paces of an American legal education administered by famous Yale professors. We are made to understand, both intellectually and viscerally, how the process changes one's way of thinking, and how that in turn causes profound, often disturbing changes in one's relations with others. Painful personal details are not spared. At the same time, we see the fascination of the law, its deep intellectual challenge and the power that it can confer on those who have mastered its mysteries. This book should be essential, cautionary reading for budding lawyers. It will make some practicing attorneys angry, but will be therapeutic for others. For the layperson, it is a reminder of how much of our lives is influenced by a deep structure of legal thinking. More than that, however, this book is about the truth of ideals and emotions--a kind of truth that the web of law all too often obscures.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A reporter interested in the law, Goodrich spent a year-long fellowship at Yale Law School observing how students are trained to "think like lawyers." His class-by-class account tries to demonstrate that law school, with its ability to form in students a new, disciplined way of thinking, is the source of lawyers' influence. Perhaps would-be students will find an unexpected perspective here, but general readers may find his discussions confusing. However, his examination of precedent cases is truly valuable. For a limited audience.
- Fern Sikkema, Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Backinprint.com (January 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595264050
• ISBN-13: 978-0595264056
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,875,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and insightful, April 9, 2004

By 

mercat37 (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Anarchy and Elegance: Confessions of a Journalist at Yale Law School (Hardcover)

As a current 1L at YLS, I can vouch for the accuracy of Goodrich's account - even down to Guido's "Evil Deity" speech, which apparently remains unchanged 15 years later. In fact, not much seems to have changed at all in 15 years, which is a little daunting given Goodrich's insightful criticism of the state of legal education. This is an excellent book for anyone thinking of law school - both as preparation for the stressful academics of first year, and for the tremendous and disconcerting shift in perspective and thought processes that nearly every law student undergoes. The author's description of the personal costs is a bit overdone at points - I at least have not observed such profound personality changes in any of my classmates - but the basic concept is sound. An entertaining and informative book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much self-righteous moral superiority..., June 1, 2003

By 

"blackrazor17" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anarchy and Elegance: Confessions of a Journalist at Yale Law School (Hardcover)

Considering that Chris Goodrich was a Yale graduate himself, as well as editor of California Lawyer magazine prior to the start of his law fellowship (i.e. he's a smart guy), the man exhibits a striking degree of naivete about how the legal system works. He expresses shock and disappointment that the legal profession is not really about "helping people" or "finding the truth", but rather about doing one's best to represent the interests of one's client, and that whoever can present the best arguments usually wins. Goodrich's view of the law is so overly idealistic that it strains credulity. One can't help but wonder if it is only a manufactured device through which to write a book such as this.

The author goes on at length about the arrogance and pretentiousness of those in the legal profession, yet he himself exhibits the very same qualities in his condescending moralizing against its faults. Studying the law transforms one's soul (and not for the better), Goodrich says, and goes out of his way to let you know he is so much above all that. To be sure, Goodrich raises some valid points and concerns about the profession. But rather than attempting to examine them in an objective, journalistic fashion, he stakes out a self-righteous position of moral superiority, effectively concluding that he's glad he was able to successfully resist the temptation all his classmates succumbed to.

The book was not without its strong points, particularly in the first half. The depiction of life as a first-year law student and the glimpses of the discussions that take place inside the lecture halls were nothing short of fascinating. The chapter devoted to the recruitment of students by law firms was also especially revealing.

However, these strengths were quickly drowned out by Goodrich's holier-than-thou tone. The second half, especially, consisted of rambling editorializing about the faults of law school, without offering much in the way of workable solutions, or without objectively examining why things exist as they do. The book concludes with Goodrich's graduation, where once more he can't help but point out his own superiority. He chooses not to wear the traditional robes and garb of the ceremony, instead donning a suit, then snidely remarking that to him, those wearing the robes appear to be constrained in straitjackets. Once again, Goodrich thinks he is better than everyone else, which ironically is one of the traits he professes to despise the most of those in the legal profession.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not convincing, November 28, 2005

By 

EJR (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anarchy and Elegance: Confessions of a Journalist at Yale Law School (Paperback)

Goodrich has an enviable ability to write with eloquence and insightful introspection. His descriptions of his experiences and perceptions at Yale Law are the strongest parts of this account. However, I do not believe he succeeds in his attempt to articulate a need for reform within America's system of legal education and its broader (negative) impact on American culture.

I agree with other reviewers who have criticized the moral outrage in Goodrich's narrative for coming across as contrived. Goodrich's decision to organize the book around 3 acts sort of acknowledges the artificial quality of the metamorphosis of his worldview - from naivete to cynicism to a disenchanted balance between the two. He does seem to exaggerate both the virgin idealism that he had at the beginning of the program and the subsequent dark night of the soul that his legal education thrusts upon him for the sake of telling a gripping story. I don't mind embellishment for the sake of better storytelling, however, he attempts to use this "devastating" experience to support his criticism of legal education. This strategy backfires because it makes his claims for the extent of "damage" that law school inflicts upon students seem unwarranted.

Had he simply written a Scott Turow-autobiographical-1L-in-hell sort of a book I would have given it 4 stars. However, Goodrich's attempt to do more than autobiography - to preach a bit from his soapbox - is what earns the book 3 stars.