TY - JOUR

T1 - New Professional Spaces and Trajectories: Tracing the Evolution of Legal Professionals - Introduction to Special Issue

AU - Caserta, Salvatore

AU - Haagensen, Nicholas

AU - Madsen, Mikael Rask

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - This article introduces a conceptual framework to aid the contributors of this special issue. Drawing on existing literature and the articles of our contributos, we identify three empirical issues that need to be addressed when studying the transitions and transformations that we see in legal professional work: 1) the spectrum of legal roles; 2) the social spaces in which legal work is undertaken, and 3) the contexts in which the legal profession is embedded. Based on these issues, we develop a dynamic conceptual framework that encompasses the movements of legal professionals—professional trajectories; the boundaries between different social groupings—professional spaces—and how these reflect interactions with different and changing contexts; and, finally, how new professional projects emerge out of these trajectories and in the process of structuring professional spaces. Then we present several conceptual outcomes based on how legal professional projects are shaped by our framework of professional trajectories, professional spaces, and context. In the end, we describe our contributors’ papers, each of which looks at an empirical case that speaks to our conceptual framework and illustrates new trajectories and professional spaces of the legal professional field.

AB - This article introduces a conceptual framework to aid the contributors of this special issue. Drawing on existing literature and the articles of our contributos, we identify three empirical issues that need to be addressed when studying the transitions and transformations that we see in legal professional work: 1) the spectrum of legal roles; 2) the social spaces in which legal work is undertaken, and 3) the contexts in which the legal profession is embedded. Based on these issues, we develop a dynamic conceptual framework that encompasses the movements of legal professionals—professional trajectories; the boundaries between different social groupings—professional spaces—and how these reflect interactions with different and changing contexts; and, finally, how new professional projects emerge out of these trajectories and in the process of structuring professional spaces. Then we present several conceptual outcomes based on how legal professional projects are shaped by our framework of professional trajectories, professional spaces, and context. In the end, we describe our contributors’ papers, each of which looks at an empirical case that speaks to our conceptual framework and illustrates new trajectories and professional spaces of the legal professional field.

M3 - Journal article

JO - International Journal of the Legal Profession

JF - International Journal of the Legal Profession

SN - 0969-5958

ER -