I ' ve never read any source claiming that their duty is illegal . In many cases , it seems to be an honorable or respectable profession . They seem to be something like private police of the Galaxy . They ' re not exactly liked , but their duties are very important they bring in criminals . Who ' s a criminal is where the line gets blurry . It seems to depend on what laws the one who hires the bounty hunter needs to follow . To the Empire , Jedi need to be brought in . To the Hutt Cartel , Solo needs to be arrested . To give a reallife hypothetical example , let ' s imagine a bounty hunter who somehow captures Osama bin Laden in pre 911 Afghanistan . Under Taliban law Osama was not a terrorist , but an idol . Claiming or filing a bounty on him is , in their laws , a crime . The West , however , would legally respect the right to hunt such a criminal . While the bounty hunter may be breaking an Afghan law , he or she would be compensated well if Osama was captured in the West . So there you have it the filer of the contract follows laws that perhaps the hunted does not . The bounty Hunter ' s reputation as a resident of the underworld is merely a product of needing to being in some of its residents . TLDR Legality is in the eye of the beholder .