Books
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Lawyers in 21 st-Century Societies, Vol. 1: National Reports; Vol. 2: Comparisons and Theories (co-editor, 2020, 2022)
The world’s legal professions have undergone dramatic changes in the 30 years since publication of the landmark three-volumes of Lawyers in Society, which launched comparative sociological studies of
lawyers.Volume 1 presents reports on 46 countries, with broad coverage of North America, Western Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, North Africa and the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and former communist countries. These national reports address: the impact of globalization and neoliberalism on
national legalRead More
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Law’s Trials: The Performance of Legal Institutions in the U.S. “War on Terror” (2018)
Erwin Chemerinsky (Dean, UC Berkeley Law School) wrote in the Foreword: “Professor Rick Abel’s stunning new book tells the story of how the US Constitution has failed since September 11, 2001, and
during crises throughout American history. … This is the most comprehensive book yet on what has
occurred over the last decade and a half as part of the ‘war on terror.’ …Read More
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Law’s Wars: The Fate of the Rule of Law in the U.S. “War on Terror” (2018)
Vincent Warren (legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights) wrote in the Foreword that the “war on terror” “raised the question of how a society responds when the rule of law is applied through a
political lens that seeks to carve out a series of bold exceptions to firmly accepted, internationally
agreed-upon norms, such as the prohibition of indefinite detention, war crimes, and torture. Law’s Wars
take this question head on from a unique vantage point that examines the vital signs of the ruleRead More
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Lawyers in the Dock: Learning from Attorney Disciplinary Proceedings (2008)
For more decades, American lawyers have bewailed the ethical crisis in their profession, wringing their hands about its bad image. But their response has been limited to spending money on public relations,
mandating education, and endlessly revising ethical rules. This book uses six detailed case studies of
lawyers disciplined in New York City to understand the nature and genesis of the misconduct and
propose ways of reducing it.Read More
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English Lawyers between Market and State: The Politics of Professionalism (2003)
The English legal profession, uncharacteristically, was often in the headlines during the 1990s. Reforms
initiated by a Conservative Lord Chancellor and extended by his Labour successor transformed traditions,
over the vigorous objections of the judiciary, Bar, and Law Society. Rapid market developments enriched
some barristers and solicitors while squeezing others. The two professional associations confronted
crises in self-regulation and governance.Read More
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Speaking Respect, Respecting Speech (1998)
The feminist campaign against pornography, the furor over a racial epithet in the O. J. Simpson trial, and Iran’s continuing threat to kill Salman Rushdie exemplify the intense passions aroused by hurtful speech.
Richard Abel offers an original framework for understanding and attempting to resolve these pervasive
and intractable conflicts. Drawing on sociological theories of symbolic politics, he views such
confrontations as struggles for respect among status categories defined by nationality,Read More
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Lawyers: A Critical Reader (1997)
Lawyers brings together thirty-five outstanding excerpts and articles on the legal profession in the first reader to address the whole range of vital questions concerning lawyers and their increasing impact on
all aspects of society. Are lawyers merely hired guns or are they morally responsible for the clients they
represent? Who does and does not obtain legal services? How does law school make students more
conservative? Can law contribute to the creation of a more just society?Read More
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Politics by Other Means: Law in the Struggle Against Apartheid, 1980-1994 (1995)
Politics by Other Means explores the fundamental question–how law can constrain political power–by offering a pathbreaking account of the triumphant final decade of the struggle against apartheid.
Because Blacks lacked political power and posed no real military threat, law played a central role in their
resistance to white rule. Even though South Africa lacked both a bill of rights and a tradition of judgesRead More
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The Law & Society Reader (1995)
This book seeks to provide answers to everything you ever wanted to know about the law―except what the rules are or ought to be.
For centuries, the law has been considered a neutral, objective arena that sets societal standards and
allows conflicting forces to resolve disputes. More recently, however, the interaction between law and
society has been recognized as a two-way street: society clearly exerts considerable influence on theRead More
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Speech and Respect (1994)
The offence caused to women by pornography, to people of colour and to Jews by racial hatred, and to Muslims by The Satanic Verses was only too real. In Speech and Respect, based on the forty-fourth series
of Hamlyn Lectures, Professor Richard Abel sets out the dangers that are inherent in the current system
of protection of free speech clearly and concisely. The use of familiar, topical “stories” helps the reader
see how dangerous the problem is. The extensive references and footnotes show how widespread the
dangers are. Richard Abel is a leading figure in socio-legal debate and readers will benefit from hisRead More
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American Lawyers (1989)
This detailed portrait of American lawyers traces their efforts to professionalize during the last 100 years by erecting barriers to control the quality and quantity of entrants. Abel describes the rise and fall of
restrictive practices that dampened competition among lawyers and with outsiders. He shows how
lawyers simultaneously sought to increase access to justice while stimulating demand for services, and
their efforts to regulate themselves while forestalling external control. Data on income and status Read More
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Reprinted as The Making of the English Legal Profession, 1800-1988
This major new book by one of the leading authorities on the legal profession is a definitive study of the origins, development current state, and likely future of the legal profession in England and Wales. Based
on extensive, original research and an exhaustive study of existing sources, this book presents a
comprehensive description of all aspects of the legal profession: barristers and solicitors, professional Read More
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The Politics of Informal Justice (editor, 1982)
We are presently experiencing what may well be a major transformation of our legal system. Recent years have witnessed repeated attacks on formal legality, complaints about excessive litigiousness, and
insistence that the state is being asked to do too much. The Politics of Informal Justice is concerned with
an important expression of this general tendency—informal justice—Read More
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Lawyers in Society: An Overview (1996)
The legal profession is one of the most discussed and least understood occupational categories in contemporary society. Are there too many lawyers wasting human resources and hampering political
and economic activity, or are there too few to provide adequate representation for all? Read More