The Law Business and the Business of Law: A Crisis of Direction?

Karl J. Mackie
Additional contact information
Karl J. Mackie: University of Nottingham

Chapter 13 in Lawyers in Business, 1989, pp 239-265 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract It is a common tenet of management literature that types of organisational structure and process do make a difference to the character, effectiveness and efficiency of a business, over and above any influence of individuals’ characteristics (Handy, 1985). Much of this book has already dealt with organisational issues in the context of the in-house lawyer’s role. It is also evident from this discussion that it is important to retain notions of purpose or values1 to understand the individual’s contribution to organisational directions. We have seen how the integrated lawyer notion has arisen as an image of effective service, of purpose, for the in-house lawyer’s role. Purpose is also an important concept in explaining how the ‘single client’ legal fiction has a degree of psychological reality, founded on the hierarchical structures of business organisations dedicated to particular aims. (Although in each case such aims, whether that of the integrated lawyer for the individual or those of profit maximisation/organisational survival for the company, are never ‘pure’ but influenced and channelled by individual, organisational and environmental factors.)

Keywords: Fair Trading; Private Practice; Business Organisation; Legal Profession; Legal Service (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1989
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-349-08799-0_13

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.palgrave.com/9781349087990

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-349-08799-0_13

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Palgrave Macmillan Books from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().