Divorce Lawyers at Work: Varieties of Professionalism in Practice

Front Cover
How do lawyers think about and make the important decisions that constitute the day-to-day practice of law? This book explores that question through an extensive empirical study of lawyers practicing divorce law in New England. The authors emphasize the importance of "collegial control" in shaping lawyers' decisions and identify a variety of "communities of practice" that serve as key agents of that control.
Offering a new understanding of the nature of lawyers' work in divorce law as well as a new perspective on legal professionalism, this book is required reading for scholars, students, and practitioners.
 

Contents

1 Debating Professionalism and Control over Lawyers Work
3
2 The Many Faces of Professionalism in Divorce Practice
16
3 Communities of Practice
41
4 The Boundaries of Expertise
64
5 Maintaining Control over Clients
87
6 The Meaning of Advocacy
110
7 Serving Clients while Protecting the Bottom Line
133
8 Constructing Professional Meaning and Identity in the Practice of Divorce Law
157
9 From Professionalism to Collegial Control
175
Studying Divorce Lawyers at Work
195
Notes
203
References
227
Index
239
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