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'A Great and Noble Occupation!'

'A Great and Noble Occupation!' The History of the Society of Legal Scholars

Author: Fiona Cownie; Raymond Cocks
Publisher: Hart Publishing
ISBN: 9781841136783
Published In: September 2009
Format: Paperback , 330 pages
Jurisdiction: U.K. ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

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The Society of Legal Scholars, originally the Society of Public Teachers of Law, was created in 1909, but was fortunate to survive its first half century. It had few members, lacked financial resources and was weak in influence. In comparison with other university disciplines Law enjoyed a fragile status, and was often held in low esteem by barristers and solicitors.

At times the SPTL was caught up in problems of its own making, for instance refusing to admit women until the late 1940s. But there were also moments of excitement and achievement: the years between 1909 and the start of WWI were full of hope and new ideas and the establishment of the Journal of the Society of Public Teachers of Law in the 1920s was an important achievement for legal scholars.

During the social revolution of the 1960s the SPTL continued to function as a rather sedate gentleman's club, gathering at its annual conference to socialise, rather than to engage in academic debate. The 1970s saw a sustained drive from its Young Members' Group to create a new, more serious organisation, with better conferences and more effective decision-making processes.

The Society evolved slowly, but the process accelerated in the 1990s, with members encouraged to reinforce their intellectual contribution to the discipline and act as a central point for policy debate within the legal academic community. As we stand at the beginning of the twenty first century, the Society, with nearly 3,000 members, has come a long way from its small beginnings.

Fiona Cownie and Raymond Cocks are both Professors of Law at Keele University.

…we should certainly congratulate Fiona Cownie and Ray Cocks for producing their fine history of the Society.
Roger Brownsword
Legal Studies
Volume 30, No. 1

The author's hope that this book will be a substantial contribution to the history of legal education in the United Kingdom is fully justified.
William Twining
Journal of Law and Society
Volume 37, Number 3, 2010