Injured in the Line of Duty: Is the Practice of Law Becoming a High Risk Occupation?

Abstract

This article reports on qualitative data from structured, in-depth interviews with a diverse group of twenty-five lawyers. It supplements a 2004 survey of 5,539 lawyers from both private and prosecutorial practices in British Columbia, Canada. A thematic tactic was adopted in reviewing the lawyers' interviews, from which seven prevalent themes were exposed including theoretical hypotheses behind violence against lawyers; the legal profession paradigm shift; whether violence in the profession is an issue of concern; courthouse security and media derision.