Service beyond self-interest? : Australian lawyers, legal aid and professionalism

Within the context of the history of the Australian legal aid system, this article explores the shift in the legal profession's relations with the state and the internal conflicts facing the legal profession. This account demonstrates the challenge for a heterogeneous legal profession to be seen to be 'professional' . The choice facing legal practitioners between providing 'service beyond pure economic self-interest' and pursuing economic imperatives becomes apparent when discussing developments in the Australian legal aid system. During the period under review (1973- 2000) there have been significant shifts in the social context of legal aid, the legal profession and the way government operates. The current dominance of economic globalisation with a philosophy of neo-liberalism has increased the focus on competition policy generally and undermined the concept of the welfare state. With this approach, welfare becomes a personal responsibility rather than a social one. "Government services are reduced, with remaining responsibilities contracted out to private practitioners in a commercialised purchaser- provider relationship".1 In this account the shifts in the approach to welfare and the focus on competition policy are reflected in the changes made to the amount and mechanisms of legal aid funding and the response of the legal profession.