How did the role of the local attorney evolve in our society? Why are they so integral to the facilitation of healthy social and legislative commerce? The history of the lawyer is fascinating to explore. The necessity of lawyers throughout the ages has waxed and waned; at some times their role is more important and in other times less so. In modern society, attorneys play a vital role, but that always wasn’t the case and their role wasn’t always the same as it is today. Like most professions, it has evolved over time and adapted as society has required. Let’s take a quick look into the history of attorneys to better understand this profession.

The roots of lawyers in Western Civilization are probably found in the “orators” of ancient Greece, who were asked to plead cases before the courts by their less-literate (but often more powerful) peers in society. These orators were not allowed to represent them professionally, however, as the law at the time dictated that orators were not allowed to charge anything for their services. So while orators were most likely the most functionally similar to an attorney as possible in ancient Greece, it was still quite a stretch.

The ancient Romans, on the other hand, improved upon almost everything that the Greeks pioneered after vanquishing their society and taking it over, and that included the law. Orators in ancient Rome could be paid; their profession was legitimized by the emperor as “advocacy” and they themselves were “advocates”. They unfortunately had a pay ceiling imposed by Emperor Claudius which was incredibly low, however.

While modern day Americans seeking out local attorneys’ assistance might consider this a boon and perhaps think we need to go back to such a system, it was not enough to make a sustainable living for the advocates of the time. By the time the Byzantine Empire rolled around, advocates were really lawyers: they had to be enrolled on the bar of their court, they were only allowed to be barred on one court at a time, and there was a limit on how many lawyers could be on any court’s bar at any given time. And this all by the 4th century CE.

When the Middle Ages began following the decline of the Roman Empire and Western Europe, however, the legal profession collapsed completely. There simply wasn’t a need for it. Around the 12th century, however, the Church began to require expertise in canon law, and a small number of men began to practice canon law due to the demand. And by the mid-13th century, the legal profession was again being regulated by the governing bodies of church and state. Law had officially returned to Western civilization.

Their power continued to grow, and as America grew into a nation, lawyers were an essential part of the function of that nation. By the beginning of the 18th century, lawyers had become powerful local and colonial leaders. The first State Attorneys General were created by the Judiciary Act of 1789 mandated by Congress, and United States President George Washintgon nominated the first U.S. Attorneys on September 24, 1789. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, attorneys can help resolve myriad conflicts in a number of different ways. Here are some of them.