Becoming a Cosmopolitan Lawyer

The practice of law has become increasingly globalized over the last forty years. Law firms, although national in origin, now depict themselves as global, international, or regional.1 Most of the lawyers practicing in these firms are educated and trained in one jurisdiction but work globally. True, the market for LL.M. degrees has prompted inter-jurisdictional exchanges in legal education, so we find increasing numbers of law students educated in civil law systems migrating to common law jurisdictions.2 But as a whole, the legal profession has come to globalization gradually, led there by client demand rather than an inherent desire to supply global services. If we compare the spread of the law practice to that of accounting and management consulting, we can see that law has remained a cottage industry to a large extent.3Full Tex

Cash Use in Australia: New Survey Evidence

The Reserve Bank has completed its second study of consumers' use of payment instruments. The study indicates that cash remains the most common form of payment by consumers. It is used extensively in situations where average payment values are low and where quick transaction times are preferred. Nonetheless, cash use as a share of total payments has declined, falling as a share of both the number and value of payments. Two important factors contributing to this decline are the substitution of cards for cash use, particularly for low-value payments, and the increasing adoption of online payments.withdrawals; payments; payments survey; transaction diary; payments use study; payments system; contactless payments; online payments

Institutional Bridging: How Large Law Firms Engage in Globalization

This Article introduces the “Born Global” concept into the discussion of law firms and lawyers. Born Global firms are companies that globalize at an accelerated rate. This Article illustrates that English and American law firms are the precursors to Born Global companies and highlights how the common law facilitated this process. It also demonstrates, through modern case studies, how lawyers and the common law continue to have a globalizing effect in the business world. Last, the Article argues that the disparity between U.K. and U.S. law firms created by the U.K. Legal Services Act of 2007 may create an opportunity for U.K. law firms to truly break out ahead of their U.S. counterparts

Will There Be Fallout from Clementi? The Repercussions for the Legal Profession after the Legal Services Act 2007

Article published in the Michigan State Law Review

Lawyers as Sanctifiers: The Role of Elite Law Firms in International Business Transactions

Globalization has fundamentally accelerated and altered business transactions. The search for low labor costs and cheap raw materials has led to a proliferation of international transactions, and large, international law firms are called on to participate in complex transactions helping business tap into sources of finance around the world for investment. This article first examines the theoretical underpinnings of international legal practice, taking into account the historiography of U.S. and U.K. law firms. Part II describes the economic and political factors behind law firms\u27 rise. Part III analyzes the success of the common law, as expressed through contract, at the expense of civilian codes. Part IV examines how international law firms have capitalized on their growth and success. Part V draws upon Luhmann\u27s sociology of law to begin to explain how law firms achieve their aims by creating supporting and enabling structures for business. Part VI highlights a case study of the creation of a legal investment device, the U.K. Pfandbriefe. The conclusion suggests some ways of bringing these diverse strands together that explain law firms\u27 roles in international business transactions through the management of uncertainty and stabilization of expectations. Globalization of The Legal Profession, Symposium. Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington, April 6, 200

The Changing Face of American Corporate Law Practice

The professions of the 1980s are completely different from the situation in the 1930s. They are now subject to the norms of business rather than the standards of professionalism.1 It is part of the purpose of this article to show that the practice of law has become a business like any other business activity. As a result of this trans formation, the norms and standards so often identified with the professions have eroded. In the next part of the article, I outline some of the demographic changes that have taken place in the legal profession and the reasons for them. This is followed by a discussion of how the large corporate law firm operates, using two case studies: an example of antitrust litigation and the restructuring of an international corporation

Barristers\u27 Clerks

This paper is based on a participant-observational study of barrister\u27s clerks conducted in 1976. The results of the study are reported in the author\u27s thesis entitled Barrister\u27s Clerks

Barristers\u27 Clerks

This paper is based on a participant-observational study of barrister\u27s clerks conducted in 1976. The results of the study are reported in the author\u27s thesis entitled Barrister\u27s Clerks

Doing Business: The Management of Uncertainty in Lawyers\u27 Work

Apparently naive, but in fact not, is the question: What do lawyers do? Many scholars assume the central role of the lawyer is that of the advocate, but among lawyers working in law firms advocacy consumes little of their time. Similarly, the term lawyer provides hardly any meaning in itself. The research presented here is based on a participant-observation study of a corporate law firm. The central thesis proposed, in the light of case studies of the selling of shopping mall and the arranging of a bank loan, is that business lawyers are engaged in managing uncertainty for both their clients and themselves. Managing uncertainty is ccomplished through interaction rather than appeals to the law

Megalaw in the U.K.: Professionalism or Corporatism? A Preliminary Report

The Growth of Large Law Firms and Its Effect on the Legal Profession and Legal Education, Symposiu