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The power that legal professionals enjoy, and the
dependence of social order on that power,
makes them the bearers of a number
of tensions. Lawyers, judges, prosecutors,
court clerks and police officers all operate
within hierarchical structures, maintaining the social
order while trying to deliver equality.
Other actors such as Constitutional Court judges
reflect upon and decide the rules through
which the 'game'- e.g. democracy - is to be played.
They are expected to keep up the legal form
in all their actions. But real life
conditions such as inadequate resources make
this a burdensome task. At times, their moral inclinations
as individuals conflict with their roles as legal actors.
This course explores these and other tensions that define
the role of legal professionals in social life, using
the legal profession as a lens through which to understand
the making of social, economic and political realities.
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