ABSTRACT
As some participants in the French Revolution conceived the relationships among the citizens of a nation, so the French today conceive the ideal relationships among the avocats of a bar. Avocats should be equal and participate loyally, fraternally and democratically in the bar, unhampered by any intermediate organizations such as law firms. Legislation has enabled avocats to establish several kinds of professional corporations and other forms of practice, and many have done so. The avocats, who considered salaried work incompatible with independence, accepted it as a price of the merger and the enticing opportunities the merger afforded. Traditional work patterns have provided some support for the independence of younger avocats. Independence will be harder to foster as cases grow larger, and as avocats participate in complex business transactions. Also, a trainee, salaried avocat or collaborator can hardly expect to work in complete independence on a case brought to the firm-by another avocat.
