Scott Turow details his experiences and struggles at Harvard Law School in One L. The book was published in 1977. Turow outlines the challenges he encountered as a first-year law student at the prestigious institution. Turow married at the age of 26 and resigned from his position as an instructor to join the Harvard Law School. The book describes how law influences people who study it in their daily lives. Turow is amazed by how people around him, both students and professors, are behaving. He opines that law school humbles every student irrespective of the background.
In Law School, every individual is limited to himself and books. Attorneys learn how to argue and perceive the truth from their early years in school. Pressure mounts on the students to perform exemplary. Competition is rife among law students. Therefore, every student works hard to outsmart his or her peers. The most important virtue in the Law School is performance. Both professors and students are required to behave in a certain manner that is rare among students pursuing other careers.
Law school makes and molds students to become envious and driven by competition. Turow is opposed to such a change of personality and behavior. Therefore, he opines that professors should change their perspective regarding the law as a career. Students can perform well without changing their personalities and behaviors. Learning is not all about competition, and law students should also be taught how to interact well with their peers.
