03/06: Could we live in a world without lawyers?
The Cambridge Online Dictionary defines a lawyer as "someone whose job is to give advice to people about the law and speak for them in court". Of course, anyone could give advice about the law but having a specialist do so is highly advisable, especially in a court environment.
However, resentment towards the lawyers and the legal profession as a whole is prevalent in societies all over the world, and this resentment is not something which has only come about in recent times. In the eighteenth century lawyers were abolished in many countries, including France. There were complaints in the nineteenth century all over the world regarding the number of lawyers; many people felt that there were too many lawyers. There was continued ill feeling towards lawyers in many countries including England, Canada, Australia and the United States. However, it became clear that despite this ill-feeling, lawyers were an essential part of society, and a necessity to ensure that laws are upheld and understood by everyone.
A world without lawyers would mean that people wouldn’t be able to receive advice about the law. Looking at law in its simplest terms, there are two main areas: civil and criminal law. In civil law one person or company takes action against another individual or company, with the purpose being to uphold the rights of individuals. In criminal law it is usually the state which takes action against someone who has broken the rules of society e.g. murder. The purpose of criminal law is to uphold law and order and to protect society. If there were no lawyers, individuals would not be able to take action in civil law as there would be no-one to explain the often complex legislation, and, similarly, a world without lawyers would mean that no-one would be able to provide advice to someone accused of something under criminal law, or indeed impose a criminal law sanction and ultimately protect society.
These, and many other areas of law, require a detailed and complex understanding. For example, 3,600 new criminal offences have been introduced in less than a decade. Furthermore, areas of law such as tax, employment and property are extremely complex, and without lawyers we wouldn’t be able to simplify the rules and regulations in place, which would render such rules and regulations useless.
However, resentment towards the lawyers and the legal profession as a whole is prevalent in societies all over the world, and this resentment is not something which has only come about in recent times. In the eighteenth century lawyers were abolished in many countries, including France. There were complaints in the nineteenth century all over the world regarding the number of lawyers; many people felt that there were too many lawyers. There was continued ill feeling towards lawyers in many countries including England, Canada, Australia and the United States. However, it became clear that despite this ill-feeling, lawyers were an essential part of society, and a necessity to ensure that laws are upheld and understood by everyone.
A world without lawyers would mean that people wouldn’t be able to receive advice about the law. Looking at law in its simplest terms, there are two main areas: civil and criminal law. In civil law one person or company takes action against another individual or company, with the purpose being to uphold the rights of individuals. In criminal law it is usually the state which takes action against someone who has broken the rules of society e.g. murder. The purpose of criminal law is to uphold law and order and to protect society. If there were no lawyers, individuals would not be able to take action in civil law as there would be no-one to explain the often complex legislation, and, similarly, a world without lawyers would mean that no-one would be able to provide advice to someone accused of something under criminal law, or indeed impose a criminal law sanction and ultimately protect society.
These, and many other areas of law, require a detailed and complex understanding. For example, 3,600 new criminal offences have been introduced in less than a decade. Furthermore, areas of law such as tax, employment and property are extremely complex, and without lawyers we wouldn’t be able to simplify the rules and regulations in place, which would render such rules and regulations useless.
Acinacerkitte wrote: