Consortia Advocatorum Romanorum: Legal Nature, Organization and Operation

Abstract

The historical predecessors to these guilds of professional and skilled workers, as we know them today, were the Ancient Greek worker associations, called the etaireion and eranos, and the Roman worker associations, named sodalitates and collegia. The legal foundation for these guilds is found in the Roman associations. After a strong resurgence of these corporate organizations during the Imperial Era due to the political, economic and social circumstances that characterized this period, these unions are now subject to a strong state interventionism. This is a way to control several sectors that are vital for the State, even going so far as to require registering / enrollment in these organizations. In this way the professional associations of Roman lawyers developed; professional corporate entities whose basic structures are replicated in today’s contemporary society.