Professional Projects of Elite Chicago Lawyers, 1950–1974 |
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| Authors: | Charles L Cappell Terence C Halliday |
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| Institution: | Charles L. Cappell;, the senior author, is Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Virginia, and Affiliated Scholar, American Bar Foundation. A.B. 1968, MacMurray College;MA. 1974, University of Illinois, Chicago;Ph.D. 1982, University of Chicago. Terence C. Halliday;is Research Social Scientist, American Bar Foundation, and Lecturer, the College, University of Chicago, 1983–84. M.A. 1972, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand;M.A. 1973, University of Toronto;Ph.D. 1979, University of Chicago. |
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| Abstract: | This article reports results of an inquiry into the composition and policies of the leaders of the Chicago Bar Association. The leadership cadre was partitioned into three status groups on the basis of background characteristics and law school attended. Outside educational elites, dominating the board during the early 1950s, pursued policies that defended prestigious areas of legal work from other encroaching professionals and sought to constrain the plaintiff side of the personal injury bar. Local ethnic elites obtained a share of the leadership during the mid-1960s and transformed the judicial politics of the CBA to conform to local Democratic party objectives. At the center of the leadership cadre was a group of local aristocrats, well connected to major corporate and civic organizations, whose participation in the leadership roles fluctuated less dramatically than that of the other groups. A review of policies suggests that the local aristocrats were responsible to some extent for integrating the various specialized projects pursued by disparate segments of the Chicago bar. Detailed examination of the composition and policies of this local bar leads to the conclusion that associations of the legal profession are capable of accommodating diverse interests to an extent not previously measured or assessed. |
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