> Lawyers who served private clients were known in England since the thirteenth century, but a true legal profession did not come about until the late sixteenth century.^[Pistor, Katharina. <i>The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality</i>. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2019.] From 1150 onwards, a small but increasing number of men became experts in the Catholic Church's canon law (the oldest continuing legal system), but only as part of other occupations, such as being priests. From 1190 to 1230, a shift occured in which men began practicing canon law as a lifelong profession. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_legal_profession) One way to put a date to the moment when something becomes a regular feature of society is when it becomes regulated. By 1231 in France, and 1237 in London, lawyers had to swear oaths of admission before they could begin practicing. During the same decade, the Kingdom of Sicily introduced similar oaths. In 1275, it was proposed at the Second Council of Lyon that all ecclesiastical courts should require an oath. In 1275, the civil courts in England passed a statute that punished lawyers who were guilty of deceit. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_legal_profession) By 1700, lawyers became powerful leaders in the American colonies, as they were experts in the English common law. By the 21st century, over one million practitioners in the United States held law degrees. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_legal_profession)