Barristers’ career motivations in the twentieth century

Lawyers’ motivations are often scrutinised at the formative stages of their legal education or early careers. Aspiring lawyers are asked what they wish to achieve, why they want to work as lawyers, or what sort of lawyers they wish to be. This article takes a different approach, considering lawyers’ motivations retrospectively. It asks lawyers who are retired, or who are near the end of their careers, to reflect on what had originally motivated them to work in the field. It combines social science research methodology with legal historical scholarship, to gain a better understanding of what motivated lawyers in Ireland in the mid- to late-twentieth century.