Commissioned by the US Department of Justice, this is the first comprehensive national study of the US civil justice system. Kritzer examines the background, experiences, day-to-day activities, and outlook of civil lawyers, and argues that lawyers' behaviour must be understood in part as a form of brokerage, or mediation, between the client and the legal system. He suggests that brokers and professional lawyers fulfil complementary, rather than alternative, roles, and recommends that lawyers' monopoly on advocacy in civil litigation be restricted.
Reviews
"A model of competent social-scientific inquiry into a complex social phenomenon. It is dispassionate, thorough, analytically rigourous, and judicious in generalizing and drawing conclusions from the data. Although Kritzer is methodologically self-conscious, he lets the data call the tune and refrains from manipulating his findings to vindicate a preordained theoretical agenda. In reading The Justice Broker, one senses (and shares) the author's satisfaction in achieving a more complete understanding of the complicated lives of ordinary civil litigators."--American Political Science Review "Excellent."--Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences "An excellent study of the day-to-day work of lawyers in civil litigation....Highly recommended for public, college, university, and law libraries."--Choice "A fascinating study....an intelligent, succinct, and thought-provoking analysis....Kritzer has admirably performed a major service for the public law field by his innovative and incisive presentation."--Focus on Law Studies "An interesting and provocative examination of the practice of law....A particularly valuable research volume....The Justice Broker should be read by scholars studying the role of lawyers in the judicial system as well as by lawyers who are in the business of practicing law."--Perspectives on Political Science "A model of competent social-scientific inquiry into a complex social phenomenon. It is dispassionate, thorough, analytically rigourous, and judicious in generalizing and drawing conclusions from the data. Although Kritzer is methodologically self-conscious, he lets the data call the tune and refrains from manipulating his findings to vindicate a preordained theoretical agenda. In reading The Justice Broker, one senses (and shares) the author's satisfaction in achieving a more complete understanding of the complicated lives of ordinary civil litigators."--American Political Science Review "Excellent."--Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences "An excellent study of the day-to-day work of lawyers in civil litigation....Highly recommended for public, college, university, and law libraries."--Choice "A fascinating study....an intelligent, succinct, and thought-provoking analysis....Kritzer has admirably performed a major service for the public law field by his innovative and incisive presentation."--Focus on Law Studies "An interesting and provocative examination of the practice of law....A particularly valuable research volume....The Justice Broker should be read by scholars studying the role of lawyers in the judicial system as well as by lawyers who are in the business of practicing law."--Perspectives on Political Science



Book Information
ISBN 9780195061420
Author Herbert M. Kritzer
Format Hardback
Page Count 248
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 551g
Dimensions(mm) 241mm * 162mm * 26mm