Advisers

At the outset, it seems appropriate to consider a point on which lawyers in these interviews were unanimous: all of the 35 interviewees identified their role as some­thing akin to ‘advisers'.

Our role is to educate them, definitely. Help them as well. Guide them. I'd say all of the above! Most ofthem don't know about the law and the ones that do are possibly in difficult situations, very emotional, are probably not thinking right. So all ofit really, we get involved.

(Leland, solicitor, Radford Hope, INT)

We're making sure they're fully aware of everything that's going on in court and obvi­ously what happens next - they want to know the risks, best case scenario or worst case scenario - it's really about providing lots of information to them.

(Laura, solicitor, Swining MacSage, INT)

Guide them is possibly a good word, hold their hand, see them through. You have a pro­fessional skill, a legal qualification, therefore you are learned in the law and you have a role to advise them well.

(Eileen, solicitor, Radcliffe and Musk, INT)

In attributing themselves such a role, lawyers appeared to invoke the notion that knowledge is power. Their acting as advisers was considered of great importance; lawyers tended to believe that they enabled clients to choose what happened in their cases.