I'm an optimist. I'm looking forward to the Great Elation and the Great Progression.

Stephen Seckler hosts Blawg Review #235 this week at his Counsel to Counsel site. Published this past Monday, the 80th anniversary of the stock market crash in 1929 which precipitated the Great Depression, one might expect that Seckler's post would not be a heartwarming, uplifting experience. He focuses on the current economic downturn, the "Great Recession", and explores how it has altered the practice of law, perhaps permanently. He notes that BigLaw has taken and will continue to take things on the chin, smaller firms should use their nimbleness to gain in trying economic times, and lawyers in any state of employment or unemployment can find support and guidance in social media. Overall, it's a good overview of a period of fiscal turmoil which has affected our profession greatly and may leave change for the better in its wake, along with a considerable amount of destruction. Eric Turkewitz, whose past Blawg Reviews have been strong contenders for Blawg Review of the Year awards, hosts Blawg Review #236 at his New York Personal Injury Law Blog next Monday.