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.

GERARD HANLON is Lecturer in Management at the Management Centre, King’s College, University of London. He is author of The Commercialisation of Accountancy (Macmillan, 1994)