Gatekeeping the Profession

Authors

Christopher Williams, Harvard Law School

Abstract

The article argues that the U.S. model of legal education functions as a racial gatekeeper, perpetuating inequality by adopting and exacerbating societal prejudices. It highlights how structural mechanisms within legal education, such as standardized testing, admission processes, and socialization, disproportionately exclude and marginalize students of color, particularly black students, mirroring the experiences of Dalits in India's legal education system. The author introduces the concept of "adoptive prejudice," where legal education systems adapt and embed societal hierarchies, leading to systemic exclusion and disparity.

Disciplines

Civil Rights and Discrimination | Education Law | Fourteenth Amendment | Law | Law and Race | Legal Education | Legal Profession

Recommended Citation

Christopher Williams, Gatekeeping the Profession, 26 Cardozo J. Equal Rts. & Soc. Just. 171 (2020).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cardozoersj/vol26/iss2/2