Fred Rodell
Encyclopedia
Fred Rodell was an American
law professor most famous for his critiques of the U.S. legal profession. A professor at Yale Law School
for more than forty years, Rodell was described in 1980 as the "bad boy of American legal academia" (by Charles Alan Wright
, "Goodbye to Fred Rodell," 89 Yale L.J. 1455, quoted in the http://www.law.pitt.edu/hibbitts/rodspot.htm Pitt Law School Web site).
He was one of the leading proponents of the “legal realism
” approach and railed against overly abstract and theoretical legal arguments. He was a harsh critic of the legal profession, which he described as a "high-class racket." In his 1936 Virginia Law Review article "Goodbye to Law Reviews" (quoted on a University of Denver
Web site http://www.law.du.edu/russell/lh/alh/docs/rodell.html), Rodell famously remarked, "There are two things wrong with almost all legal writing. One is its style. The other is its content. That, I think, about covers the ground.”
Rodell himself never became a member of the bar, later explaining that, “By the time I got through law school, I had decided that I never wanted to practice law. I never have.”
Rodell studied under Supreme Court
Justice William O. Douglas
at Yale Law School
They carried on a life-long correspondence, a substantial portion of which is archived at Rodell's alma mater, Haverford College
(class of 1926).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
law professor most famous for his critiques of the U.S. legal profession. A professor at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
for more than forty years, Rodell was described in 1980 as the "bad boy of American legal academia" (by Charles Alan Wright
Charles Alan Wright
Charles Alan Wright was an American constitutional lawyer widely considered to be the foremost authority in the United States on constitutional law and federal procedure, and was the coauthor of the 54-volume treatise, Federal Practice and Procedure with Arthur Miller and Kenneth W...
, "Goodbye to Fred Rodell," 89 Yale L.J. 1455, quoted in the http://www.law.pitt.edu/hibbitts/rodspot.htm Pitt Law School Web site).
He was one of the leading proponents of the “legal realism
Legal realism
Legal realism is a school of legal philosophy that is generally associated with the culmination of the early-twentieth century attack on the orthodox claims of late-nineteenth-century classical legal thought in the United States...
” approach and railed against overly abstract and theoretical legal arguments. He was a harsh critic of the legal profession, which he described as a "high-class racket." In his 1936 Virginia Law Review article "Goodbye to Law Reviews" (quoted on a University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
Web site http://www.law.du.edu/russell/lh/alh/docs/rodell.html), Rodell famously remarked, "There are two things wrong with almost all legal writing. One is its style. The other is its content. That, I think, about covers the ground.”
Rodell himself never became a member of the bar, later explaining that, “By the time I got through law school, I had decided that I never wanted to practice law. I never have.”
Rodell studied under Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
Justice William O. Douglas
William O. Douglas
William Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
They carried on a life-long correspondence, a substantial portion of which is archived at Rodell's alma mater, Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
(class of 1926).
External links
- Woe Unto You, Lawyers! - full text of Rodell's book.
- Fred Rodell's Case Against the Law - a 1996 law review article about Rodell by Ken Vinson
- FredRodell.com - web site devoted to Rodell.