Pragmatics of authors-name order

[Baker, John]

        In law review articles, when there are two authors, the first of whom is a noted professor and the second is in a much more junior position, the assumption is that the noted professor did the thinking and the junior person did the work.  If the first author is an important partner at a law firm and the second is a junior partner or associate, it's assumed that the junior partner or associate did both the thinking and the work, and the partner endorsed it.

        I would tell you what it means when the first author is the student assistant or associate and the second is the noted professor or senior partner, but I've never seen that.

John Baker