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6 - Legal Professions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2023

Lynette J. Chua
Affiliation:
National University of Singapore
David M. Engel
Affiliation:
State University of New York, Buffalo
Sida Liu
Affiliation:
The University of Hong Kong
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Summary

The legal professions in Asia are a plural concept. Many Asian countries are civil law jurisdictions in which lawyers, judges, and prosecutors are separately licensed. Even in common law jurisdictions, lawyers rarely are a homogeneous group. Moreover, there are paralegal or unauthorized occupational groups that parallel the profession of lawyers. The meaning of being a “lawyer” in Asia, therefore, is often more complex and controversial than in North American or European contexts. The different types of legal professions range from barristers and solicitors in Hong Kong and unified legal professions in other former British colonies, to Continental-style judges and prosecutors in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, Soviet-style “iron triangles” of police, procurators, and judges in China and Central Asia, and to unlicensed “barefoot” lawyers across the continent. This chapter provides an overview of the plurality of legal professions and their demographic and sociological characteristics. It goes on to highlight the legal service market, demonstrating the connections between lawyers and different kinds of clients and practice areas, and the interactions between the legal professions, judicial system, and state. The chapter concludes with readings on the role of lawyers in transforming the state—and the impact of state transformations on lawyers themselves.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

Primary Sources

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  • Legal Professions
  • Lynette J. Chua, National University of Singapore, David M. Engel, State University of New York, Buffalo, Sida Liu, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: The Asian Law and Society Reader
  • Online publication: 02 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108864824.007
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Legal Professions
  • Lynette J. Chua, National University of Singapore, David M. Engel, State University of New York, Buffalo, Sida Liu, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: The Asian Law and Society Reader
  • Online publication: 02 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108864824.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Legal Professions
  • Lynette J. Chua, National University of Singapore, David M. Engel, State University of New York, Buffalo, Sida Liu, The University of Hong Kong
  • Book: The Asian Law and Society Reader
  • Online publication: 02 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108864824.007
Available formats
×