Subsequent discussions have considered other classic works of literature and philosophy oriented around themes of law and justice. The overall aim of the seminar has been to provide practitioners with an opportunity for disciplined reflection on the practice of law. The seminar meets once a month at the Madison Club in downtown Madison, and is scheduled to run through July. Participants, who come from all over the state, prepare by reading an assigned text from a list which, beyond Tocqueville, has included Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy, Plato's Apology , Shakespeare's Measure for Measure , Melville's Billy Budd , and Kafka's The Trial . Typically the moderators open discussion by pointing to a particular passage that seems to open up the general themes of the text.
Discussion then proceeds organically, with the moderators exercising a minimal degree of control.
In many cases, the discussions build on each other, with previous texts informing the reading of subsequent texts. Thus, Tocqueville's analysis of the interplay between family, religion, and law might help illuminate Aeschylus' depiction of how civil law triumphs over the recurring cycle of blood feuding. The GLD seminar is itself part of a larger project funded by the Lilly Foundation to strengthen the work of nonprofit and professional organizations. The project is animated by Tocqueville's notion that American democracy depends on the vitality of its voluntary associations. Hence, other seminars have been organized in Indiana, Maryland and Maine for groups of professionals in a variety of fields such as medicine, education, philanthropy and social service.