Legal Profession in SEE: From Post-Socialist Transformation to Globalization
Legal professions are undergoing deep changes in contemporary Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina affected by the processes of postsocialist transformation and globalization. They range from changes of the social status and professional independence of judges and prosecutors to new market conditions in which lawyers (attorneys) are practicing law. The impact of these was a subject of a regional research dealing with social status and internal stratification of legal professions. The research was carried out in Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first half of 2018. The survey was conducted by using a combination of online questionnaires and face- to-face interviews on a sample of working age judges, prosecutors and attorneys (that have graduated between 1974 and 2014). Our presentation focus on the perception of law and judiciary. It explores their attitudes with regards to neutrality and effectiveness of legal system determinants of these attitudes. The analysis will particularly aim to put the findings in comparative perspective and also compare it with the perceptions and attitudes of general population where possible.