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Lawyers' pro bono work in Denmark

Olesen, Annette and Hammerslev, Ole LU orcid (2022) p.446-476
Abstract
This chapter is based on a document analysis of 632 issues of the Danish Bar and Law Society’s trade magazine published from 1976-2018, and interviews with lawyers from the Scandinavian countries. The empirical findings concerning the structures and rationales dominating and defining the trajectory of lawyers’ voluntary work for the last four decades suggest that voluntary work targeted at those most in need has always been included in Danish lawyers’ narratives – but has however changed over time. Voluntary legal work was previously unsystematic and carried out tacitly as private affairs between local lawyers and clients. Concurrently with law firms began to merge in the 1980s and a reconfiguration of the universal welfare state... (More)
This chapter is based on a document analysis of 632 issues of the Danish Bar and Law Society’s trade magazine published from 1976-2018, and interviews with lawyers from the Scandinavian countries. The empirical findings concerning the structures and rationales dominating and defining the trajectory of lawyers’ voluntary work for the last four decades suggest that voluntary work targeted at those most in need has always been included in Danish lawyers’ narratives – but has however changed over time. Voluntary legal work was previously unsystematic and carried out tacitly as private affairs between local lawyers and clients. Concurrently with law firms began to merge in the 1980s and a reconfiguration of the universal welfare state simultaneously took place and placed a greater responsibility on the third sector’s voluntary work, legal voluntary work slowly changed. Inspired by Anglo-American law firms, the few new large law firms’ voluntary work became an enterprise based on branding strategies and CSR programs targeted at large organizations, communities and other potential business partners. The changing division of voluntary labor indirectly left solo practitioners and lawyers at small law offices to focus their voluntary work on mainly private clients and the grassroots tradition of ‘Lawyers on call’. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Global Pro Bono: Causes, Consequences, and Contestation
editor
Cummings, Scott ; Silva, Fabio Costa Morais de Sa E and Trubek, Louise
pages
446 - 476
publisher
Cambridge University Press
ISBN
9781108476157
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
db0caad7-af18-49e2-856a-c2ea47ce397d
date added to LUP
2022-05-11 21:42:04
date last changed
2022-05-12 08:50:20
@inbook{db0caad7-af18-49e2-856a-c2ea47ce397d,
  abstract     = {{This chapter is based on a document analysis of 632 issues of the Danish Bar and Law Society’s trade magazine published from 1976-2018, and interviews with lawyers from the Scandinavian countries. The empirical findings concerning the structures and rationales dominating and defining the trajectory of lawyers’ voluntary work for the last four decades suggest that voluntary work targeted at those most in need has always been included in Danish lawyers’ narratives – but has however changed over time. Voluntary legal work was previously unsystematic and carried out tacitly as private affairs between local lawyers and clients. Concurrently with law firms began to merge in the 1980s and a reconfiguration of the universal welfare state simultaneously took place and placed a greater responsibility on the third sector’s voluntary work, legal voluntary work slowly changed. Inspired by Anglo-American law firms, the few new large law firms’ voluntary work became an enterprise based on branding strategies and CSR programs targeted at large organizations, communities and other potential business partners. The changing division of voluntary labor indirectly left solo practitioners and lawyers at small law offices to focus their voluntary work on mainly private clients and the grassroots tradition of ‘Lawyers on call’.}},
  author       = {{Olesen, Annette and Hammerslev, Ole}},
  booktitle    = {{Global Pro Bono: Causes, Consequences, and Contestation}},
  editor       = {{Cummings, Scott and Silva, Fabio Costa Morais de Sa E and Trubek, Louise}},
  isbn         = {{9781108476157}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{446--476}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  title        = {{Lawyers' pro bono work in Denmark}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}