NCJ Number
80356
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1981) Pages: 147-156
Date Published
1981
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Findings are presented from an Australian survey that examined various differences between criminal and noncriminal lawyers, with particular attention to types of clients and their relationships with clients.
Abstract
Data were obtained from responses to a mail questionnaire distributed to a random sample of New South Wales lawyers drawn from solicitors in private practice, barristers, government lawyers, and corporation lawyers. Responses were received from 514 of the 1,143 lawyers in the sample. In analyzing the data, criminal lawyers were defined as all respondents who reported spending 10 percent or more of their time doing criminal law work. By this definition, only 51 of the 514 respondents could be described as criminal lawyers. In comparing the backgrounds of the criminal and noncriminal lawyers, the study found that criminal lawyers were significantly less likely to be Protestants and less likely to come from high-status secondary schools. This tends to parallel findings from another survey that showed criminal lawyers to have relatively low status and income among lawyers. In examining client types, criminal lawyers were found to have significantly more semiskilled or unskilled clients. This is no doubt related to the tendency of persons with low employment skills to be overrepresented as criminal defendants. Criminal lawyers also have more clients but fewer repeat clients than noncriminal lawyers. Some implications of these findings for the legal profession and its effective service for various types of clients are discussed. Tabular data, 2 notes, and over 40 bibliographic entries are provided.