The aim of this paper is to present the process of professionalization, which began and gained momentum in the nineteenth century, from the “bottom up,” from the perspective of both the participants and the practitioners of the profession. Based on ego documents such as diaries and memoirs written by lawyers, the analysis queries whether lawyers in the nineteenth century considered legal representation as a profession per se. This approach is necessary because the sources do not relate aspects of collegiality or solidarity, and consequently remain silent about questions of belonging to a community or a profession too. The study, thus, uses the concepts of s‘space of experience’ and ‘horizon of expectation’ as defined by Reinhart Koselleck. In this vein, those passages are extracted from the life stories that reveal the moment of commitment to the legal profession, and in other cases, the dilemmas of choosing between the legal profession and other careers.

Nincs absztrakt.

In nineteenth-century Hungary, it was a widely held belief among the wider public but even in the circles of the legal profession (for example, among judges) that lawyers make good money, are wealthier than the average, and generally live in prosperity. However, in the Age of Dualism (1867–1918), lawyers can be seen discussing the polar opposite in professional publications and other media, arguing that the profession was becoming impoverished. Even though the discourse of financial difficulties permeated the thinking of lawyers both in Budapest and in the country, hitherto no social history study has examined primary sources to analyze the income, revenues and financial situation of Hungarian lawyers. Joining international scholarship, the present study aims to nuance the two polarities described above, and to shed light on the diversity and complexity of Budapest lawyers in this period. Drawing on various types of sources, the analysis of lawyer careers from beginning to end bears out the articulated nature of the profession at the time. In addition to an overview of the circumstances of wealthier and poorer lawyers, the study also draws attention to prevailing trends that affected the financial potential within the entire lawyer community.

Nincs absztrakt.

Nincs absztrakt.