SEMANTIC AND PRAGMATIC ASPECTS OF MODELING THE IMAGE OF A RUSSIAN ADVOCATE (BASED ON THE JOURNAL “RUSSIAN ADVOCATE”)

Abstract

The article presents the results of a linguopragmatic study of explicit and implicit means used by journalists of law-related corporate mass media to model the positive image of a modern Russian lawyer. The author observes that at present there is a social need to replace deeply rooted negative stereotypes about lawyers/advocates in the collective consciousness, since it is the representatives of the law who form patterns of law-abiding behavior. Mass media play a significant role in forming images of lawyers whom many Russian citizens rarely meet in person. Analyzed interviews with lawyers and lawyer biographies enable the recipients to learn more not only about the professional activities but also about personal life and inner world of lawyers, thus, demonstrating a great potential in modeling their images. The article highlights and analyzes three aspects that, in the author’s opinion, are of greatest importance for creating a positive image of a lawyer in modern Russian society