Barristers Solicitors Pettifoggers: Profiles in Australian Colonial Legal History by Simon Smith

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Wear to book corners and front cover tail edge. Book interior and binding are very good. Tiny mark on page ix.

In the two hundred and twenty-five years since 1788, lawyers have carved out a prominent and respected place in the life of Australia. It has not always been so.

The first lawyers to arrive in 1788 were convicts. It took a further four decades before 'free' trained lawyers began to arrive in the colony. Even so, the reputation of the profession was poor; too many lawyers were seen as 'Pettifoggers'. It took time for the profession to win community respect; a task that is never finished.

This book canvasses the start of that journey with a focus on the general period 1820-1850. It explores what brought the early lawyers to Australia, the communities they found and how they fared. It takes a particular focus on five lawyers who pushed the boundaries and were disciplined as a result.

These previously untold stories provide a fascinating insight into colonial Australia, the development of the legal profession and the rule of law. The five lawyers discussed are Horatio Nelson Carrington, Sidney Stephen, James Erskine-Murray, John William Thurlow and William Thurlow.

Includes bibliographical references and index.