Since economist Milton Friedman’s 1970 doctrine “the social responsibility of business is to increase profits,” businesses have been driven by the bottom line, and the legal profession is no exception. Yet, in recent years, business leaders and lawyers alike have begun to see a structural pivot in the nature and purpose of business.
In this talk, Harvard Law Professor David B. Wilkins will reexamine business and law through the lens of delivering value to consumers of legal services in today’s society. If we go beyond market dollars, our industry can find its professional roots in being wise counselors and effective leaders who address complex problems with a multidisciplinary perspective.
Attendees can expect to explore where value might be defined, revealed, and delivered in law, policy, and even morality, and to examine who these new clients are and what value means to them.