ABSTRACT
It would be difficult to speak of a legal profession in ancient Rome prior to the period of the Dominate. Jurists indeed there were, but professional lawyers in the modern sense did not appear upon the scene until the time of the later empire. Within modern civilian systems, the essential qualification for work as a legal professional is the law degree, which is taught in the university law faculties. In France, advocates formed a distinct sub-branch of that branch of the legal profession, profession liberate juridique, called the auxiliaires de justice. The development of legal education in the lands of the civil law was both shaped by and helped shape the development of the legal professions. As soon as the cathedral school at Pavia began serious study of the Lombard and feudal laws, those who had achieved knowledge through study there were in demand to give advice and assist in the adjudication of disputes.
