Loyalty Work : Emotional interactions of defence lawyers in Swedish courtrooms
Flower, Lisa LU
(2018)
- Abstract
- Defence lawyers’ work takes place in emotionally charged, yet emotionally constraining situations. This is particularly evident in criminal trials. Distressed clients, unforeseeable disruptions, disturbing evidence, emotional plaintiffs and even moral suspicions should all be managed in a proper and appropriate manner. Loyalty Work analyses how this is done in the context of Sweden, with specific focus on criminal trials at district courts. Defence lawyers constitute a category of legal professionals that have received relatively little sociological attention and thus warrant deeper theoretical and empirical understanding.
By drawing on ethnographic fieldnotes from observations of over 50 criminal trials the strategies for... (More) - Defence lawyers’ work takes place in emotionally charged, yet emotionally constraining situations. This is particularly evident in criminal trials. Distressed clients, unforeseeable disruptions, disturbing evidence, emotional plaintiffs and even moral suspicions should all be managed in a proper and appropriate manner. Loyalty Work analyses how this is done in the context of Sweden, with specific focus on criminal trials at district courts. Defence lawyers constitute a category of legal professionals that have received relatively little sociological attention and thus warrant deeper theoretical and empirical understanding.
By drawing on ethnographic fieldnotes from observations of over 50 criminal trials the strategies for performing loyalty and teamwork are revealed. Interviews with 18 lawyers have also been conducted to explore how defence lawyers talk about emotions and their professional role. This empirical material, along with other sources such as the audio recording of a trial, are analysed using dramaturgical theory and theories on emotion work.
The study shows how defence lawyers project a professional impression in line with invisible emotional, interactional and ceremonial expectations. Defence lawyers attempt to represent clients by managing performances in the courtroom– their own, their clients’ and others’ - and by ensuring they remain within the boundaries of the emotional regime of law. Simultaneously, the defence team should present a united front to the court. These strategies involve using emotion work and facework to build up or undermine facts in the trial, by drawing attention towards or away from information presented or by the use of props.
A criminal trial is found to be an inherently emotional and interactional accomplishment with the reproduction of defence lawyers’ loyalty to their clients as a crucial component. Defence lawyers are also expected to ensure that the overarching emotional regime of law with its illusionary dichotomy between rationality and emotionality is upheld. The study concludes that loyalty work demands emotion work, facework and teamwork. The Swedish context is particularly interesting as it calls for subtle drama with understated performances. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Försvarsadvokaters arbete utspelar sig i emotionellt laddade men emotionellt begränsade situationer. Detta är särskilt påtagligt i brottmålsrättegångar. Upprivna klienter, oförutsebara avbrott, skakande bevis, emotionella målsägande, till och med moralisk misstänksamhet förväntas hanteras på ett korrekt och passande sätt. Den här avhandlingen analyserar hur detta görs i en svensk kontext, med specifikt fokus på brottmålsrättegångar i tingsrätter. Försvarsadvokater tillhör den kategori jurister som endast fått begränsad sociologisk uppmärksamhet. Därför behövs djupare teoretisk och empirisk kunskap om deras praktiker.
Med hjälp av etnografiska fältanteckningar från observationer av över 50 brottmålsrättegångar visar författaren... (More) - Försvarsadvokaters arbete utspelar sig i emotionellt laddade men emotionellt begränsade situationer. Detta är särskilt påtagligt i brottmålsrättegångar. Upprivna klienter, oförutsebara avbrott, skakande bevis, emotionella målsägande, till och med moralisk misstänksamhet förväntas hanteras på ett korrekt och passande sätt. Den här avhandlingen analyserar hur detta görs i en svensk kontext, med specifikt fokus på brottmålsrättegångar i tingsrätter. Försvarsadvokater tillhör den kategori jurister som endast fått begränsad sociologisk uppmärksamhet. Därför behövs djupare teoretisk och empirisk kunskap om deras praktiker.
Med hjälp av etnografiska fältanteckningar från observationer av över 50 brottmålsrättegångar visar författaren advokaters strategier för att ”göra” lojalitet och teamwork. Intervjuer med 18 advokater har också genomförts för att visa hur försvarsadvokater pratar om sina emotioner och sin professionella roll. Det empiriska materialet, tillsammans med andra källor som en ljudinspelning av en rättegång, analyseras med hjälp av dramaturgiska teorier och teorier om emotionsarbete.
Studien visar hur försvarsadvokater åstadkommer ett professionellt intryck i linje med osynliga emotionella, interaktionella och ceremoniella förväntningar. Försvarsadvokater strävar efter att företräda sina klienter genom att hantera olika framträdande i rättssalen – sina egna, sina klienters och andras – och se till att dessa framträdanden håller sig inom ramen av lagens emotionella regim. Samtidigt förväntas försvaret – försvarsadvokaten och den tilltalade – framstå som enade. De här strategierna innebär emotionsarbete och facework för att bygga upp eller underminera de faktapåståenden som presenteras i en rättegång, genom att dra uppmärksamhet till eller ifrån information eller genom att använda rekvisita.
En brottmålsrättegång visar sig vara en emotionell och interaktionistisk händelse där reproduktionen av försvarsadvokaters lojalitet till sina klienter är central. Dessutom förväntas försvarsadvokater upprätthålla lagens övergripande emotionsregim och dess konstruerade uppdelning mellan rationalitet och emotionalitet. Studien drar slutsatsen att lojalitetsarbete innebär emotionsarbete, facework och teamwork. Den svenska kontexten är synnerligen intressant eftersom den innebär ett subtilt drama i rättssalen och tillbakahållna framträdanden. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3c5299fe-310b-49bf-a85f-14b215c70734
- author
- Flower, Lisa
LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Maroney, Terry A., Vanderbilt University, USA
- organization
- alternative title
- Lojalitetsarbete : Försvarsadvokaters emotionella samspel i svenska rättssalar
- publishing date
- 2018-10-05
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Loyalty, law, emotional regime, emotion, facework, emotion work, teamwork, Lojalitet, lagen, emotionsregim, emotion, facework, emotionsarbete, teamwork
- pages
- 266 pages
- publisher
- Lund University
- defense location
- Kulturen auditorium, Tegnérsplatsen, Lund
- defense date
- 2018-10-30 10:15:00
- ISBN
- 978-91-7753-820-2
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3c5299fe-310b-49bf-a85f-14b215c70734
- date added to LUP
- 2018-10-04 14:53:53
- date last changed
- 2019-09-08 14:50:19
@phdthesis{3c5299fe-310b-49bf-a85f-14b215c70734,
abstract = {{Defence lawyers’ work takes place in emotionally charged, yet emotionally constraining situations. This is particularly evident in criminal trials. Distressed clients, unforeseeable disruptions, disturbing evidence, emotional plaintiffs and even moral suspicions should all be managed in a proper and appropriate manner. Loyalty Work analyses how this is done in the context of Sweden, with specific focus on criminal trials at district courts. Defence lawyers constitute a category of legal professionals that have received relatively little sociological attention and thus warrant deeper theoretical and empirical understanding.<br/><br/>By drawing on ethnographic fieldnotes from observations of over 50 criminal trials the strategies for performing loyalty and teamwork are revealed. Interviews with 18 lawyers have also been conducted to explore how defence lawyers talk about emotions and their professional role. This empirical material, along with other sources such as the audio recording of a trial, are analysed using dramaturgical theory and theories on emotion work.<br/><br/>The study shows how defence lawyers project a professional impression in line with invisible emotional, interactional and ceremonial expectations. Defence lawyers attempt to represent clients by managing performances in the courtroom– their own, their clients’ and others’ - and by ensuring they remain within the boundaries of the emotional regime of law. Simultaneously, the defence team should present a united front to the court. These strategies involve using emotion work and facework to build up or undermine facts in the trial, by drawing attention towards or away from information presented or by the use of props.<br/><br/>A criminal trial is found to be an inherently emotional and interactional accomplishment with the reproduction of defence lawyers’ loyalty to their clients as a crucial component. Defence lawyers are also expected to ensure that the overarching emotional regime of law with its illusionary dichotomy between rationality and emotionality is upheld. The study concludes that loyalty work demands emotion work, facework and teamwork. The Swedish context is particularly interesting as it calls for subtle drama with understated performances.}},
author = {{Flower, Lisa}},
isbn = {{978-91-7753-820-2}},
keywords = {{Loyalty; law; emotional regime; emotion; facework; emotion work; teamwork; Lojalitet; lagen; emotionsregim; emotion; facework; emotionsarbete; teamwork}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{10}},
publisher = {{Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Loyalty Work : Emotional interactions of defence lawyers in Swedish courtrooms}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/52577937/Loyalty_Work_doctoral_dissertation.pdf}},
year = {{2018}},
}