Lawyers, the state, and the market : professionalism revisited

Professionalism is currently undergoing a process of radical change. Changes in the welfare state and in the market place have impacted upon professional organisations forcing them to change the ways in which they perform their jobs. This book analyses these changes in relation to the legal industry and other professions such as doctors and accountants. It argues that the shift is being driven by the powerful and informed corporate client whilst it downgrades consideration for the weaker uninformed client with many casualties as a result. It highlights how this shift has become an important political issue as the different camps seek support from political parties. It suggests that the resulting contest will be one of the key political struggles of the first decade of the next century. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv A Crisis of Social Democracy? Professionalism and Flexible Accumulation....Pages 1-38 Defenders of the Laissez-Faire Faith and Adherents of Fordist Collectivism: The Changing Relationship Between Lawyers and Society....Pages 39-81 Lawyers, the State and the Market: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea....Pages 82-122 Flexible Accumulation and the Emergence of the ‘Commercialised Professional’....Pages 123-163 Professionalism as Enterprise: Service Class Politics and the Redefinition of Professionalism....Pages 164-183 Conclusion: The Social Structure and the Changing Face of Professional Work....Pages 184-189 Back Matter....Pages 190-214 Changes in the welfare state, the market place and their impact upon professional organisations are analysed in relation to the legal industry and other professions, such as doctors and accountants