The Paradox of Professionalism: Global Law Practice Means Business

Abstract

This article outlines the contrasting 'professional' and 'business' visions of legal practice and the lawyer's role in society. It sets out the regulatory 'maze' that had developed in the UK prior to 2007, reflecting the unresolved business/profession dichotomy. In 2007, radical and revolutionary reforms were introduced in the Legal Services Act. The reforms appear to signal an end to professionalism, the final intrusion of the marketplace into legal services, and the victory of the business vision of legal practice. However, I argue that a closer analysis suggests that a new vision of legal practice has been created specifically - and paradoxically - with global law practice in mind. Law should be both a business and a profession because professionalism is good for business! Global law practice has been reconstituted as a hybrid: business and profession.

Keywords: global law, commercialism, professionalism, legal services