A role-analysis approach to the sociology of law focuses on "legal statuses," that is, on the various types of personnel performing recurrent functions of legal systems. In literate societies these statuses include, among others, judges, lawyers, legislators, administrators, policemen, and jurors. It would seem that for the sociologist with relatively little knowledge of the technicalities of legal systems this approach to law is most hospitable. This is particularly true of sociologists interested in the sociology of occupations. With the exception of the juror, who performs a transitory function not involving an occupation in the legal system, all other statuses mentioned are a source of livelihood for the incumbents. Hence they lend themselves to the study of an array of sociological questions on recruitment, socialization, colleague relationships, codes of ethics, and so on. Nevertheless, relatively few sociological studies have thus far been conducted concerning the legal profession or any of the other legal statuses in the United States or in any other literate society.
Still conspicuously lacking in the role-analysis approach to the sociology of law is an effort to relate an analysis of "legal statuses" to the normative and organizational components of legal institutions. In this respect Weber's analysis of the relationship between type of legal training and degree of codification in law still stands as a pioneering effort.
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