Lawyers’ belief in their professionalism was fostered by the creation and development of modern legal institutions. Law schools, bar associations, organizations like the American Law Institute, as well as the system of legal directories, the regional case reporter system, and continuing legal education groups all contributed greatly to the making of a distinctly professional culture of law in America. These institutions prospered in part because of their ideological fit with the professionalizing ethos embodied in Christopher Columbus Langdell’s statement that “law is a science.” Legal institutions, then, must be evaluated through the ideological lens which encouraged and fostered the notion that lawyers were a part of a scientific enterp...