Legal proffesion

Characteristics of the profession

Social role

The legal profession has always had an ambiguous social position. Leading lawyers have usually been socially prominent and respected—the sections of the profession so favoured varying with the general structure of the law in the particular community. The family status of early Roman jurisconsults may have been more important than their legal expertise in securing such a position, but by the time of the principate it was their legal eminence that made them respected. The English serjeants lived magnificently, especially in Elizabethan times, and the French Ordre des Avocats was established (14th century) by feudal aristocrats in circumstances reminiscent of early Rome—including an insistence on receiving gifts rather than fees. The early Italian doctors of civil and canon law (12th–15th centuries) were revered throughout Europe. In England and the countries influenced by its system, the highest prestige gradually came to be conferred on the judges rather than on the order of serjeants, of which the judges were members; even now, the judges of high-level courts in liberal-democratic common-law countries tend to enjoy appreciably greater respect than their brethren at the bar. In the Romano-Germanic systems it is the notaries and the advocates who have come to be most trusted or admired, the judiciary being more closely identified with the civil service.

WORKING IN LOW

What is "low-quality work?"

As part of the previously mentioned study, researchers tried to pinpoint what makes a job "low-quality work." As they noted, it is hard to define high-quality work entirely, and by the same logic, there's not one clear thing that makes a work situation low-quality. However, negative aspects of your role could include:

Imbalance between effort and reward

In a perfect and fair world, the more effort you put into a job role, the more you will get out of it. That doesn't necessarily mean receiving a higher salary ‒ it could also mean more freedom in your job, better benefits, a higher title, and so on. However, when you find that you are working harder and not reaping more rewards, it can be difficult to stay motivated and keep moving forward.

Low pay rate

Being underpaid for the work that you do is an indicator that your position is low-quality work. As the researchers note, there has been a long period of weak pay growth in the UK. In simple terms, that means that many professionals are getting paid less than they should for their roles, regardless of their skill level.