TY - JOUR
T1 - The Legal Profession in the United States and Australia
T2 - Deprofessionalization or Reorganization?
AU - Anleu, Sharyn L.Roach
PY - 1992/5/1
Y1 - 1992/5/1
N2 - Over the past 2 decades, the legal profession in the United States and Australia has undergone critical changes including growth, specialization, the entry of women, increasing salaried employment, and the relaxation on advertising constraints. Many argue that these developments undermine the profession's autonomy, self-regulation, and control over the terms and organization of work and suggest that the law is becoming deprofessionalized. By accepting, albeit implicitly, the attribute model of the professions, these theorists necessarily interpret change as “profession damaging.” This article examines the implications of recent developments for the status of the legal profession in both societies and questions whether they diminish professional control and prerogative or constitute new forms of organization. It concludes that recent changes demonstrate that various segments within the profession are making jurisdictional claims and strengthening their positions vis-à-vis employers, competing occupational groups, clients, and other segments of the profession. Increasing heterogeneity within the legal profession enables greater flexibility and versatility in the long term. For the most part, short-term conflicts are contained within the profession.
AB - Over the past 2 decades, the legal profession in the United States and Australia has undergone critical changes including growth, specialization, the entry of women, increasing salaried employment, and the relaxation on advertising constraints. Many argue that these developments undermine the profession's autonomy, self-regulation, and control over the terms and organization of work and suggest that the law is becoming deprofessionalized. By accepting, albeit implicitly, the attribute model of the professions, these theorists necessarily interpret change as “profession damaging.” This article examines the implications of recent developments for the status of the legal profession in both societies and questions whether they diminish professional control and prerogative or constitute new forms of organization. It concludes that recent changes demonstrate that various segments within the profession are making jurisdictional claims and strengthening their positions vis-à-vis employers, competing occupational groups, clients, and other segments of the profession. Increasing heterogeneity within the legal profession enables greater flexibility and versatility in the long term. For the most part, short-term conflicts are contained within the profession.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84965450834&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0730888492019002004
DO - 10.1177/0730888492019002004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84965450834
VL - 19
SP - 184
EP - 204
JO - Work and Occupations
JF - Work and Occupations
SN - 0730-8884
IS - 2
ER -