Lawyers' Empire: Legal Professions and Cultural Authority, 1780-1950

Authors

W. Wesley Pue, Allard School of Law at the University of British ColumbiaFollow

Faculty Author Type

In Memoriam [W. Wesley Pue]

Document Type

Book

Publication Date

2016

Subjects

Legal Education, Legal Profession

Abstract

Approaching the legal profession through the lens of cultural history, Wes Pue explores the social roles lawyers imagined for themselves in England and its expanding empire from the late eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Each chapter focuses on a critical moment when lawyers -- whether leaders or rebels -- sought to reshape their profession. In the process, they often fancied they were also shaping the culture and politics of both nation and empire as they struggled to develop or adapt professional structures, represent clients, or engage in advocacy.

As an exploration of the relationship between legal professionals and liberalism at home or in the Empire, this work draws attention to recurrent disagreements as to how lawyers have best assured their own economic well-being while simultaneously advancing the causes of liberty, cultural authority, stability, and continuity.

Comments

Reviews of Lawyer’s Empire: Legal Professions and Cultural Authority, 1780-1950

• #89 Rebels with Legal Causes (reviewed by John McLaren in BC Booklook)
• A Symposium on Pue's "Lawyers' Empire" (reviewed in Legal History Blog)
• Book Review: Big Ideals At $350/hr (reviewed by Holly Doan in Blacklock’s Reporter)
• Other reviews at publisher's page

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Sample Material

Citation Details

W Wesley Pue, Lawyers' Empire: Legal Professions and Cultural Authority, 1780-1950 (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2016).