January 30th, 2018
Why, in America today, is there so much political discord? Why is there so much controversy over so many social issues? These questions will be examined by the University of Maine at Farmington Public Classroom series with “Social Change and the Crisis of American Law,” a presentation by Frank Underkuffler, Maine attorney and UMF faculty member.
This talk will take place at 6:30 pm with refreshments at 6 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 30, in the UMF Emery Community Arts Center. It is free and open to the public.
Underkuffler’s thesis is that the problem is not “them” or “us” but “it,” and with this presentation, will put the law on trial. He will place the blame for our nation’s present difficulties, not on persons, parties, or ideologies, but on the adversarial legal system itself, and more particularly, on that system’s almost complete disregard for social change. He will trace this systemic failure back to the English common law, on which our legal system is based, and he will show how it has created chaos in our nation’s legislatures, courtrooms and streets.
Underkuffler studied philosophy at Oxford University and law at the University of Minnesota. He has practiced law since 1985, with a concentration in public sector law. He is the attorney for Franklin County, the Town of Farmington and many other area towns. He regularly teaches courses in philosophy, including philosophy of law, at UMF.
The UMF Public Classroom Series is sponsored by the UMF Office of the President.
Press release by April Mulherin, UMF Associate Director of Media Relations