Academic

This Sounds Awfully Familiar!

By Ann Bartow

Historiann has a post up about an e-mail exchange wherein a complete stranger demands her assistance, and is then very rude to her. Via Historiann, I saw this post at Female Science Professor about a stranger demanding something from her. Been there far too many times. A couple of times each week I get calls and e-mails and in person visits from people asking for free legal advice or representation, and when I refuse to provide same, a tirade. Most are random strangers, but others are part of the University community. Many angrily claim that they were given my name by someone who promised I would help them - isn’t “public service” my job? And of course it is, at least partly, but I get to choose the kind of public service I want to do, and helping nasty jerks with legal problems isn’t too high up on the list.

–Ann Bartow

Full post as published by Feminist Law Professors on November 19, 2008 (boomark / email).