Legal Services and the GATS: Norms as Barriers to Trade
Paul D. Paton
University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law
September 1, 2003
Abstract:
The author posits that the tension within the legal profession between guild protection and the desire for more open trade opportunities for exporting legal services mirrors the "law as profession"/'law as business" debate. He concludes that resistance to open trade in legal services at the GATS has been anchored in core values rhetoric. While the legal profession thus far has been successful in resisting international encroachment on traditional domestic practice models, that protectionism sets up a clash between the legal profession's traditional values and the deepening global integration agenda for which domestic governments are pressing.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 56
Keywords: legal services, GATS, legal profession, Canada, NAFTA
JEL Classification: F14, K33, K49
working papers series
Suggested Citation
Paton, Paul D., Legal Services and the GATS: Norms as Barriers to Trade (September 1, 2003). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1262054 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1262054
