The Social Organization of Legal Contacts

This is a study of how both the organization of the legal system and of citizen affairs leads citizens to define affairs as legal matters and to seek advice from a lawyer.The data are from a sample survey of the problems and legal experiences of 780 residents of the Detroit Metropolitan Area, 604 white and 176 Negro.The findings show that income and location in the social structure affect citizen contacts-with attorneys not only by.providing relevant resources but by determining their types of problems.Each type of problem has its own pattern of requirements and constraints for the use of legal services?The type of problem, institutionalized definitions about it,,available resources, and the social organization of problem solution engender,contacts.with the legal profession.