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Emotional Defence Lawyers

Flower, Lisa LU orcid (2019) In Emotions: History, Culture, Society 3(2). p.282-299
Abstract
The emotions of defence lawyers have garnered little sociological attention. This is surprising as their role requires them to show loyalty to clients, representing them in court, irrespective of the client or the crime. Theirs is thus an emotionally demanding role, requiring the management of inappropriate emotions. This article explores this by showing that justice systems have structurally embedded emotional regimes guiding emotional performances. My study reveals these invisible rules, along with the ways in which one category of legal professional in particular – defence lawyers – perform their role in the Swedish justice system. The material considered includes fieldnotes gathered from an extensive courtroom ethnography and... (More)
The emotions of defence lawyers have garnered little sociological attention. This is surprising as their role requires them to show loyalty to clients, representing them in court, irrespective of the client or the crime. Theirs is thus an emotionally demanding role, requiring the management of inappropriate emotions. This article explores this by showing that justice systems have structurally embedded emotional regimes guiding emotional performances. My study reveals these invisible rules, along with the ways in which one category of legal professional in particular – defence lawyers – perform their role in the Swedish justice system. The material considered includes fieldnotes gathered from an extensive courtroom ethnography and interviews with defence lawyers. The analysis looks at how defence lawyers perform their duty of loyalty, and finds it to be an interactional accomplishment demanding emotion management and impression management strategies ensuring conformity to the emotional regime of law. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
emotional labour, face work, loyalty, emotional regime, defence lawyers
in
Emotions: History, Culture, Society
volume
3
issue
2
pages
282 - 299
publisher
Brill
external identifiers
  • scopus:85173348029
ISSN
2208-522X
DOI
10.1163/2208522X-02010061
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
af810304-91ff-4fc4-880b-d4eacb42ee0d
date added to LUP
2019-08-28 14:30:58
date last changed
2023-12-28 12:45:58
@article{af810304-91ff-4fc4-880b-d4eacb42ee0d,
  abstract     = {{The emotions of defence lawyers have garnered little sociological attention. This is surprising as their role requires them to show loyalty to clients, representing them in court, irrespective of the client or the crime. Theirs is thus an emotionally demanding role, requiring the management of inappropriate emotions. This article explores this by showing that justice systems have structurally embedded emotional regimes guiding emotional performances. My study reveals these invisible rules, along with the ways in which one category of legal professional in particular – defence lawyers – perform their role in the Swedish justice system. The material considered includes fieldnotes gathered from an extensive courtroom ethnography and interviews with defence lawyers. The analysis looks at how defence lawyers perform their duty of loyalty, and finds it to be an interactional accomplishment demanding emotion management and impression management strategies ensuring conformity to the emotional regime of law.}},
  author       = {{Flower, Lisa}},
  issn         = {{2208-522X}},
  keywords     = {{emotional labour; face work; loyalty; emotional regime; defence lawyers}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{282--299}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  series       = {{Emotions: History, Culture, Society}},
  title        = {{Emotional Defence Lawyers}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2208522X-02010061}},
  doi          = {{10.1163/2208522X-02010061}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}