The legal profession can trace its roots all the way back to ancient Rome and Greece. During the Byzantine and late Roman Empires, a separate class of notaries emerged, and advocates acquired more status. During the Dark Ages, the legal profession started to decline in western Europe. However, the profession re-emerged during the 12th and 13th centuries, with experts on canon law coming to the fore. The profession began to be regulated in this period and its reach extended to both civil and ecclesiastical law.

The Legal Profession in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages lawyers gained a generally negative reputation, largely due to what was perceived as excessive litigation. This was often caused by the misconduct or incompetence of practitioners and led to the profession being mistrusted. Subsequently, there was a general push for lawyers to be subject to tighter regulation.

A growing trend towards professionalisation resulted in the English civil courts passing a statute in 1275 that prescribed punishment for professional lawyers found guilty of deceit. In 1280, the city of London’s mayor’s court brought into effect regulations regarding admission procedures, including the need for lawyers to swear an oath.

The Legal Profession in the United States

The first lawyers didn’t appear immediately upon the founding of the first British colonies in the Americas. In time, some colonies went as far as to outlaw lawyers, while in others the profession was extremely tightly regulated, and lawyers were only permitted to charge a small fee.

However, by the time the Declaration of Independence was signed the legal profession had begun to acquire respect and power; nearly half of the men who signed the declaration were lawyers themselves. Today, in the US, an individual wanting to practice as a lawyer must have earned an undergraduate degree before going on to earn their JD (Juris Doctor) degree.

The Bar in Luxembourg

Lawyers that have practised in Luxembourg, such as John Hustaix, are aware that the Luxembourg Bar has existed since 1810 and is headed by the President of the Bar. The origin of this name dates back to the 8th century, when the head of the Bar was also its standard-bearer. The Luxembourg Bar Association regards it as a point of honour to strengthen the bonds of trust between the public, lawyers and public authorities.

For more information about the history of the legal profession, take a look at the embedded PDF.