The Evolutions of the Legal Professions

This session will deal with the evolutions of the legal professions in the world. The aim is to understand and to explain these evolutions that can be linked to changes in relations between these professions with the state and the market of Law, but also to demographic changes, economic pressures and technological changes, such as, today, the uses of AI. The aim is also to assess these changes and evaluate their effects on professional groups and their professional identities. For instance, it could be possible to study the rise of pluridisciplinarity teams and networks of expertise, in terms of “hybrid professionalism”, “connective professionalism” (Noordegraaf, 2015, 2020), “distributed expertise” or networks of expertise (Eyal, 2013). The papers could also focus on the legal work conditions and effects on work engagement. It’s also necessary to focus on the correlation between these changes and the autonomy and authority of these legal professionals. The legal profession is presented as an intellectual vocation, practiced by independent professionals acting in a disinterested manner. Alongside medical, lawyers have been cited by the social sciences as the archetype of workers who enjoy a high degree of autonomy in defining their tasks (Abbott, 1988). Is it always and everywhere true? We must consider the disparities between legal professions too. The papers can focus one or several legal activities, occupations and professions (such as judge, clerk, lawyer, bailiff, notary, in-house counsel...).