Dean Griswold Claims Lawyers Should Voice Controversial Opinion

Law schools should take sides on controversial matters, Erwin N. Griswold, Dean of the Law School, declared last night. "There is a large measure of inertia in our society, and the man who seeks to make a change...is likely to encounter resistance. Law schools and scholars have a duty to meet this resistance," he said.

Speaking at the University of Chicago Law School, Griswold called on the law schools to be "reservoirs of courage as well as of energetic consideration of active problems." Unless they take an active part in controversial matters, Griswold said, "we will remain on dead center."

Griswold, discussing legal education, urged that law students be taught "how to face problems, how to deal with new materials." The history of law shows continuous change and development, he said, pointing out the recent emergence of labor law, taxation, and administrative law as fields of importance, and lawyers should be prepared to deal with such changes.