Abstract: The first essay of a young lawyer enamored of belles-lettres, the Entretiens sur l’éloquence de la chaire et du barreau of Gabriel Guéret simply takes up a debate that was widespread at the time. While the subject may not be new, the pertinence of this dialogue lies in its mode. Shifted to the register of worldly conversation, competition between professions turns into a friendly dispute between close partners.