Lawyers' roles in voluntary associations: Declining social capital?

The extent and nature of lawyers' participation in civic life probably has important effects on the character of the community's activity and its outc omes. Where and how lawyers participate in voluntary associations may influ ence the ability of those organizations to function within the larger struc ture of American institutions. This paper compares findings from two surveys of Chicago lawyers, the first conducted in 1975 and the second in 1994-95. Contrary to some expectations , the available evidence does not suggest that community activities of lawy ers decreased, Moreover, lawyers' energies in 1995 appear to have been devo ted more often to socially concerned organizations, those with a reformist agenda, than had been the case in 1975. The types of organizations with the greatest increase in activity were religious and civic associations. A sma ller percentage of the respondents held leadership positions in 1995 than i n 1975, but, because of a doubling in the number of lawyers, the best estim ate is that the bar's absolute level of contribution to community leadershi p did not change greatly. In both 1975 and 1995, a hierarchy of social prestige appears to have influ enced the pattern of lawyers' community activities. Lawyers who had higher incomes, were middle-aged, were Protestants, and who had attended elite law schools were more likely to be active or leaders in most kinds of organiza tions. In ethnic and fraternal organizations, however, the elites of the pr ofession had relatively low rates of participation, while government lawyer s, solo practitioners, and graduates of less prestigious law schools predom inated. Status hierarchies within the broader community-as well as social d ifferences in taste, preference, or "culture" -clearly penetrate the bar.