Providing a Framework for the Reform of the Legal Profession: Insights from the European Experience

Nuno Garoupa, University of Illinois College of Law

Abstract

Many governments, and the European Commission, have engaged in active reforms of the legal profession (namely with regards to the lawyers). This paper analyzes the relevant dimensions of these reforms (access, fees, marketing, organization, and conduct). One of the major criticism to these reforms is that they are excessively oriented by economic reasoning. This paper provides a more critical framework of the reforms, and identifies the shortcomings of what has been incorrectly perceived as economic reasoning.