Clients, Colleagues, and Community: The Shaping of Zealous Advocacy in Country law Practice

This exploratory study examines the impact of context on the exercise of one dimension of professional responsibility—zealous advocacy. The context selected for observation is the small town (population 20,000 or less), where lawyers work under conditions of high visibility, scrutiny, and accountability. The study suggests that in the small town, the lawyer works in a system where expectations of clients, community, and colleagues possess a high degree of salience for the manner in which he works. The expectations of these separate groups tend to converge on the issue of zealous advocacy and result in the rural attorney's being less likely to exploit the possibilities for adversary combat. The definition of zealous advocacy" under which he works is shaped in the context of his practice, not in the content of his law school socialization.