Honorable Lives: Lawyers, Families, and Politics in Colombia, 1780-1850

This monograph presents a portrait of lawyers in Colombia between the 1780 and the 1850s, who were next to officers and priests the most influential group of educated middle and upper-class men in Colombian society in this time of revolutionary upheaval, anti-colonial liberation struggle and  social change. Although most lawyers belonged to the upper economic segments of society, not all had equal chances to climb the bureaucratic ladder, and many had to content themselves with middle-level positions, non-bureaucratic legal practice, or other pursuits. The study  focuses on the social origins, education, and careers of those qualified to practice law. It asks what were the social origins and families of lawyers, their relation to the state, their participation in political movements and parties, revolutions, civil wars, and other political processes? What was their ideas, education, and training?