Lawyers and Capitalism

The legal profession has long been identified as a power broker between political, corporate, state-bureaucratic and academic elites. Recent research has focused on the emergence of new professionals who are willing and able to work across national frontiers. As professional go-betweens, lawyers have become essential actors of the emerging “transnational legal field”, coordinating strategies across jurisdictions and forming a strong component of professional services firms. The objective of this workshop is threefold. First, it aims to take stock of the ongoing international and interdisciplinary debates. Second, it intends to focus on the historical dimension and to deepen our understanding of the changes over time of the legal profession and its role in the development of global capitalism. Third, it endeavors to promote an actors-centered approach of the role of law and law firms as a key component in the business world.