Final answer:
The New World lacked trained lawyers and judges initially due to the focus on economic opportunities and religious freedom over transplanting the English legal system. Economic and social incentives for legal professionals to leave England were limited. As American colonies grew, a local system of law and corresponding legal professionals gradually emerged.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lack of trained lawyers and judges in the New World can be attributed to several socio-economic and legal factors that prevailed during the colonization period. Initially, the English colonists, comprising adventurers, religious groups, and individuals seeking to improve their socio-economic status, did not focus on transplanting their legal system. Many people who came to the colonies were seeking economic opportunity or religious freedom, rather than specifically aiming to establish a comprehensive legal framework.
Moreover, the economic conditions in England meant that trained professionals like lawyers and judges often enjoyed a prestigious and comfortable life. The incentivization to emigrate was thereby lower for them compared to others facing overcrowding and poverty. Instead, indentured servants, who hoped for a better life post-service, and other individuals made up the bulk of the early immigrant population.
As the colonies developed, urban areas burgeoned, necessitating the establishment of structured laws and courts. However, this need came into existence incrementally as towns grew into cities and the range of disputes broadened. Only over time did the colonies develop their own legal professionals to administer and enforce the emerging legal system, often borrowing from English legal practice but also adapting to the unique requirements of the colonial societies.