'Avvocati oratori' : Eloquenza forense e trasformazioni di una professione tra Otto e Novecento

The legal profession and oratory have always been inextricably linked. The Napoleonic ruling class was firmly convinced of this when they opened the Scuola di eloquenza pratica legale (a school of oratory for the legal profession), which was soon closed by the Austrian government in 1817. Oratory came back in vogue during the liberal age, as evidenced in the numerous legal galatei (something like codes of conduct for the legal profession) that appeared in that period. Indeed, although the galatei used different approaches and styles, they always recommended that lawyers take care of their oral skills. Despite the trend towards more concise and linear forms of oratory during the Fascist period, the heart of the twentieth century still saw lawyers using and abusing their skill as orators—indeed, it was a formidable tool, capable of manipulating legal reasoning and ensuring a victorious outcome in trial.