Being a Lawyer in Russia: Sociological Study of the Legal Profession

The book 'Being a Lawyer in Russia: Sociological Study of the Legal Profession' by Timur Bocharov and Ekaterina Moiseeva has been published in European University Press. The book presents the sociological study of the advocates’ profession in Russia. The main feature of Russia’s legal profession is its high level of fragmentation. It consists of several enclosed and loosely connected professional groups. Advocates are the most professionalized group of the Russian legal community in the sense that they correspond to the classical definition of “profession” and its attributes. However, ordinary citizens often do not see any differences between advocates and unlicensed lawyers calling both of them “advocates” or simply “lawyers.” The elite push forward a professional project attempting to expand their monopoly over all legal representation and bring the “army” of unnamed competitors under the bar.