The Law Office of Julius Caesar

Do you know that Julius Caesar was an attorney? You may be surprised that he was!

Back in Caesar's day, you didn't need to have a law degree to become a lawyer, because there were no law degrees to begin with! Anyone who was educated and could speak, analyze, and think could take up a case. In fact, someone who is a good speaker could attract other's attention. That was a great way to become a politician. Young Caesar was well educated and held the power of speech. For his first case, he accused Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella, Governor of Macedonia, for corruption.

First, some background about how tax collection worked in the Roman provinces. In the 2nd century BCE, the Roman provinces grew well beyond Italy. Since the Senate was unable to manage them from the safety of Rome, they appointed governors for provinces outside Rome. The Senate was never paid, so being a governor was a great way to make money. The governor had to prepay the Roman Treasury a fixed amount of money and they could in turn collect whatever they wanted as taxes. The excess money was pocketed.

Now, back to Caesar's first case. He accused Dollabella of extorting the people of Macedonia, and the latter was put on trial. Caesar lost the case. Not because he was not a bad attorney, but the Senate was unwilling to rule against a ex-consul. The case was lost, but Caesar's speech won the hearts of many. Even Cicero, the famous orator, praised the speech. This was the launching point of Gaius Julius Caesar's political career.