Ideology, Practice, and Professional Autonomy: Social Values and Client Relationships in the Large Law Firm
The large law firm is an institution that embodies a paradox of power in the American legal system. Its influence is widely and variously asserted: Its lawyers handle the most consequential of economic transactions and litigated disputes,' exercise leadership in bar associations and organized efforts at law reform,2 participate in the "political communities" that surround and shape the formal organs of state power,3 and are reputed to be the most effective representatives of the interests of clients in the courts, regulatory agencies,4 and legislatures.5 Firms tout their independence from clients and partisan politics, often pointing to the rel-