RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN LEGAL SERVICES: Individual Attorney Decisions in Work Priorities

In: Law & Policy, Band 5, Heft 2, S. 237-256

Abstract

This article explores the issues of professional decision‐making in legal resource allocation by examining theoretical models of professional decision‐making, and applying them in the provision of legal services for the poor. Data collected from time sheets completed by attorneys in an urban legal services program suggest the relative importance of bureaucratic, external, client‐centered, ideology, personal, and role concept factors in allocating time for practice routines. The implications of these findings for the rational (i.e., cost benefit) determination of the value of legal services are discussed.