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Full-Text Articles in Law
Ethics 20/20 Successfully Achieved Its Mission: It "Protected, Preserved, And Maintained", James E. Moliterno
Ethics 20/20 Successfully Achieved Its Mission: It "Protected, Preserved, And Maintained", James E. Moliterno
James E. Moliterno
The legal profession tends to look inward and backward when faced with crisis and uncertainty. The legal profession could make greater advances by looking outward and forward to find in society and culture the causes of and connections with the legal profession’s crises. Doing so would allow the profession to grow with society, solve problems with rather than against the flow of society, and be more attuned to the society the profession claims to serve.
Virtuous Billing, Randy D. Gordon, Nancy B. Rapoport
Virtuous Billing, Randy D. Gordon, Nancy B. Rapoport
Randy D. Gordon
Aristotle tells us, in his Nicomachean Ethics, that we become ethical by building good habits and we become unethical by building bad habits: “excellence of character results from habit, whence it has acquired its name (êthikê) by a slight modification of the word ethos (habit).” Excellence of character comes from following the right habits. Thinking of ethics as habit-forming may sound unusual to the modern mind, but not to Aristotle or the medieval thinkers who grew up in his long shadow. “Habit” in Greek is “ethos,” from which we get our modern word, “ethical.” In Latin, habits are moralis, which …
On Living One Way In Town And Another Way At Home, Thomas L. Shaffer
On Living One Way In Town And Another Way At Home, Thomas L. Shaffer
Thomas L. Shaffer
No abstract provided.
When It Comes To Lawyers… Is An Ounce Of Prevention Worth A Pound Of Cure?, Laurel S. Terry
When It Comes To Lawyers… Is An Ounce Of Prevention Worth A Pound Of Cure?, Laurel S. Terry
Laurel S. Terry
The Law And The “Spirit Of The Law” In Legal Ethics, Samuel J. Levine
The Law And The “Spirit Of The Law” In Legal Ethics, Samuel J. Levine
Samuel J. Levine
This article aims to explore the notion of the lawyer’s ethical responsibility to go “beyond” the letter of the law and to comply with the “spirit” or “purpose” of the law. The article suggests that, notwithstanding its promotion of admirable principles and goals, a spirit of the law model may prove inconsistent with basic legal and ethical obligations of lawyers. The lawyer’s duties as fiduciary, as agent, and as zealous advocate, responsible for representing the best interests of the client, preclude the lawyer from focusing on the spirit and purpose of the law rather than on the aims of the …
In The Public Interest': The Responsibilities And Rights Of Government Lawyers, Allan C. Hutchinson
In The Public Interest': The Responsibilities And Rights Of Government Lawyers, Allan C. Hutchinson
Allan C. Hutchinson
While considerable thought and effort have been put into exploring and fixing the ethical rights and professional responsibilities of private Lawyers, little energy has been directed towards defining and defending the role and duties of government lawyers. As a result, the traditional understanding seems to be that government lawyers are to consider themselves as being under the same regimen and restrictions as their private counterparts. After criticizing this default approach, the article offers a fresh evaluation of what is different about the role of government lawyers and develops a more appropriate model for thinking about their professional responsibilities and ethical …
The Codification Of Professionalism: Can You Sanction Lawyers Into Being Nice?, Debra Moss Curtis
The Codification Of Professionalism: Can You Sanction Lawyers Into Being Nice?, Debra Moss Curtis
Debra Moss Curtis
On October 31, 2013, the Florida Supreme Court in The Florida Bar v. Norkin made it clear that “it wants the trend of escalating incivility among lawyers to stop.” With that decision, in which a lawyer was suspended and publicly reprimanded for his behavior, the court urged “Members of the Florida Bar, law professors, and law students should study” this case “as a glaring example of unprofessional behavior.” This article heeds the courts’ directive to do so, but also places it in the context of the movement to enhance professionalism statewide.At the heart of the professionalism movement is a conflict—between …
Challenges And Guidance For Lawyering In A Global Society, Susan Saab Fortney
Challenges And Guidance For Lawyering In A Global Society, Susan Saab Fortney
Susan S. Fortney
This foreword provides an overview of some key aspects of law practice that have changed over the last thirty years. Advancements in technology that allow communication and interaction across borders have facilitated lawyers in globalizing their practice locality. Consequently, new issues regarding comparative ethics have arisen. This foreword suggests that ethics rules have not kept pace with the changing landscape of law practice and uses current standards for advanced waivers, rules relating to contracts with represented and unrepresented persons, and the proper use of ethics rules in civil litigation to illustrate this point. This foreword raises concern over the erosion …
The Role Of Ethics Audits In Improving Management Systems And Practices: An Empirical Examination Of Management-Based Regulation Of Law Firms, Susan Saab Fortney
The Role Of Ethics Audits In Improving Management Systems And Practices: An Empirical Examination Of Management-Based Regulation Of Law Firms, Susan Saab Fortney
Susan S. Fortney
For decades, legal malpractice experts have urged lawyers to implement risk management measures. To assist law firms in doing so, legal malpractice insurers have provided audit services and self-audit materials. Under the Australian regulatory regime, incorporated legal practices are required to complete a self-assessment process and to report on the firm's compliance with ten objectives of sound law practice. Using management-based principles, this Article discusses steps to take to encourage ethics audits "to merge good ethics and good business" in the U.S.
Preventing Legal Malpractice And Disciplinary Complaints: Ethics Audits As A Risk-Management Tool, Susan Saab Fortney
Preventing Legal Malpractice And Disciplinary Complaints: Ethics Audits As A Risk-Management Tool, Susan Saab Fortney
Susan S. Fortney
This column examines the value of firm lawyers conducting and supporting ethics audits as an integral feature of a comprehensive risk-management program. For decades, legal malpractice experts have urged lawyers to implement systems, policies, and procedures related to the delivery of legal services. Once a firm adopts systems, policies, and procedures, a meaningful risk-management system requires a periodic examination to monitor lawyers’ compliance. Rather than waiting for a professional liability insurer to recommend or require such a systematic examination, proactive firm leaders and lawyers should seriously consider devoting time and resources to periodic ethics audits.
Value Pluralism In Legal Ethics, W. Bradley Wendel
Value Pluralism In Legal Ethics, W. Bradley Wendel
W. Bradley Wendel
My claim in this Article is that the foundational normative values of lawyering are substantively plural and, in many cases, incommensurable. By plural I mean that the ends served by the practice of lawyering are fundamentally diverse, and are therefore valued in different ways. Lawyers promote multiple worthwhile goals, including not only preserving individual liberty, speaking truth to power, showing mercy, and resisting oppression, but also enhancing order and stability in opposition to the “ill-considered passions” of democracy, aligning individual action with the public good, and shaping disputes for resolution by particular institutions such as courts and agencies. The claim …
The Folly Of Expecting Evil: Reconsidering The Bar's Character And Fitness Requirement, Leslie Levin
The Folly Of Expecting Evil: Reconsidering The Bar's Character And Fitness Requirement, Leslie Levin
Leslie C. Levin
The bar’s character and fitness inquiry seeks to protect the public. As part of this inquiry, bar applicants are required to produce detailed information about their past histories. The rationale for this inquiry is that this information can be used to identify who will subsequently become a problematic lawyer. Bar applicants bear the burden of providing their “good” character even though there is little evidence that past conduct predicts who will become a problematic lawyer. This article looks at psychological and other research that attempt to identify factors that might predict future misconduct in the work place. It also reports …
Symposium: Client Counseling And Moral Responsibility, Robert F. Cochran Jr, Deborah L. Rhode, Paul R. Tremblay, Thomas L. Shaffer
Symposium: Client Counseling And Moral Responsibility, Robert F. Cochran Jr, Deborah L. Rhode, Paul R. Tremblay, Thomas L. Shaffer
Thomas L. Shaffer
Cochran served as moderator and presented an introduction to this symposium titled "Client Counseling and Moral Responsibility". It is based on papers and discussion presented at the Professional Responsibility Section panel at the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Schools in Washington, D.C., on January 4, 2003. Members of the panel, Professors Deborah Rhode, Paul Tremblay, and Thomas Shaffer presented three different approaches to moral issues that arise in the client counseling relationship: the directive approach, client-centered counseling and the collaborative model. Under the directive model, a lawyer asserts control of moral issues that arise during legal representation. …
On Teaching Legal Ethics In The Law Office, Thomas L. Shaffer
On Teaching Legal Ethics In The Law Office, Thomas L. Shaffer
Thomas L. Shaffer
No abstract provided.
Jews, Christians, Lawyers, And Money, Thomas L. Shaffer
Jews, Christians, Lawyers, And Money, Thomas L. Shaffer
Thomas L. Shaffer
No abstract provided.
Inaugural Howard Lichtenstein Lecture In Legal Ethics: Lawyer Professionalism As A Moral Argument, Thomas L. Shaffer
Inaugural Howard Lichtenstein Lecture In Legal Ethics: Lawyer Professionalism As A Moral Argument, Thomas L. Shaffer
Thomas L. Shaffer
No abstract provided.
Student, Esquire?: The Practice Of Law In The Collaborative Classroom, Nantiya Ruan
Student, Esquire?: The Practice Of Law In The Collaborative Classroom, Nantiya Ruan
Nantiya Ruan
Law faculty and non-profit lawyers are working together in a variety of partnerships to offer students exposure to “real life” clients in the first year of law school, as well as in advanced courses in substantive areas. Teachers engaged in client-centered advocacy through experiential frameworks have broken out of their isolated silos in the law school (e.g., legal writing, clinical, externship, and doctrinal) and begun to work together. To help students develop a sense of professional identity, cultivate professional values, and tap into key intrinsic motivations for lawyering, such as serving the public good, collaborative classrooms have an important role …
Trends In Global Lawyer Regulation, Laurel S. Terry
Trends In Global Lawyer Regulation, Laurel S. Terry
Laurel S. Terry
Trends And Challenges In Lawyer Regulation: The Impact Of Globalization And Technology, Laurel S. Terry, Steve Mark, Tahlia Gordon
Trends And Challenges In Lawyer Regulation: The Impact Of Globalization And Technology, Laurel S. Terry, Steve Mark, Tahlia Gordon
Laurel S. Terry
Zacharias’S Prophecy: The Federalization Of Legal Ethics Through Legislative, Court, And Agency Regulation, Daniel R. Coquillette, Judith A. Mcmorrow
Zacharias’S Prophecy: The Federalization Of Legal Ethics Through Legislative, Court, And Agency Regulation, Daniel R. Coquillette, Judith A. Mcmorrow
Judith A. McMorrow
In his 1994 seminal article on Federalizing Legal Ethics, Prof. Fred Zacharias examined the need for a national and uniform code of ethics for attorneys. Prof. Zacharias was correct that there has been increasing pressure to federalize legal ethics, but that process is occurring not through articulation of national norms but rather through decentralized contextualization of attorney conduct norms. Federal agencies that direct securities practice, immigration, tax, patent, labor and many other areas of federal practice are increasingly supplementing state regulations to specifically regulate the attorneys who appear before their agencies. Targeted substantive federal law and treaty obligations also increasingly …
Zacharias’S Prophecy: The Federalization Of Legal Ethics Through Legislative, Court, And Agency Regulation, Daniel R. Coquillette, Judith A. Mcmorrow
Zacharias’S Prophecy: The Federalization Of Legal Ethics Through Legislative, Court, And Agency Regulation, Daniel R. Coquillette, Judith A. Mcmorrow
Daniel R. Coquillette
In his 1994 seminal article on Federalizing Legal Ethics, Prof. Fred Zacharias examined the need for a national and uniform code of ethics for attorneys. Prof. Zacharias was correct that there has been increasing pressure to federalize legal ethics, but that process is occurring not through articulation of national norms but rather through decentralized contextualization of attorney conduct norms. Federal agencies that direct securities practice, immigration, tax, patent, labor and many other areas of federal practice are increasingly supplementing state regulations to specifically regulate the attorneys who appear before their agencies. Targeted substantive federal law and treaty obligations also increasingly …
A Survey Of Professional Responsibility Courses At American Law Schools In 2009, Laurel S. Terry, Andrew Perlman, Margaret Raymond
A Survey Of Professional Responsibility Courses At American Law Schools In 2009, Laurel S. Terry, Andrew Perlman, Margaret Raymond
Laurel S. Terry
The Future Regulation Of The Legal Profession: The Impact Of Treating The Legal Profession As 'Service Providers', Laurel S. Terry
The Future Regulation Of The Legal Profession: The Impact Of Treating The Legal Profession As 'Service Providers', Laurel S. Terry
Laurel S. Terry
In the past fifty years, one has heard debates about whether law is a business, a profession, or both, what these terms mean and whether it matters. Regardless of what one thinks about these debates, there is a new paradigm that must be added to the mix, which is the paradigm of lawyers as "service providers." In the "service providers" paradigm, the legal profession is not viewed as a separate, unique profession entitled to its own individual regulations, but is included in a broader group of "service providers," all of whom can be regulated together. This new paradigm represents a …
The Gats And Legal Services In Limerick, Laurel S. Terry
The Gats And Legal Services In Limerick, Laurel S. Terry
Laurel S. Terry
One of the most significant regulatory developments for legal services is their inclusion in the 1994 General Agreement on Trade in Services or GATS. The GATS was the first world trade agreement to cover services rather than goods and it applies to legal services. The GATS in Limerick is a light-hearted but nonetheless serious effort to address the most important legal services-related GATS developments in the last twelve years. These verses cover the basic principles of the GATS, the ongoing market access negotiations and the efforts to develop disciplines on domestic regulation.
A 'How To' Guide For Incorporating Global And Comparative Perspectives Into The Required Professional Responsibility Course, Laurel S. Terry
A 'How To' Guide For Incorporating Global And Comparative Perspectives Into The Required Professional Responsibility Course, Laurel S. Terry
Laurel S. Terry
Building A Better Lawyer Discipline System: The Queensland Experience, Leslie Levin
Building A Better Lawyer Discipline System: The Queensland Experience, Leslie Levin
Leslie C. Levin
In many jurisdictions, lawyer-run discipline systems are inefficient, overly lenient and insufficiently responsive to consumer's concerns. Queensland's Legal Profession Act 2004 (Qld) breaks away from that model by moving lawyer discipline out of lawyers' professional associations and into an independent agency. It articulates a decidedly consumer-oriented approach to lawyer discipline and gives Queensland's new Legal Services Commissioner the power to investigate and prosecute all discipline complaints. This article looks at Queensland's recent reforms, and considers how well the new system is meeting its twin goals of consumer protection and traditional lawyer discipline. Using interviews and other data, the article identifies …
Lawyers In Cyberspace: The Impact Of Legal Listservs On The Professioal Development And Ethical Decisionmaking Of Lawyers, Leslie Levin
Lawyers In Cyberspace: The Impact Of Legal Listservs On The Professioal Development And Ethical Decisionmaking Of Lawyers, Leslie Levin
Leslie C. Levin
This article explores the impact of trial lawyers' associations on the professional identities of its members, their professional development, their understanding of practice norms, and their ethical decision making. It does so by looking at the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA), and more specifically, the conversations that occur on its listserv. When these conversations are viewed in the context of the history and current operations of NYSTLA, it is possible to see how such listservs powerfully promote shared professional values and views within NYSTLA=s membership. The listserv extends the advice networks of trial lawyers far beyond the small …
U.S. Legal Ethics: The Coming Of Age Of Global And Comparative Perspectives, Laurel S. Terry
U.S. Legal Ethics: The Coming Of Age Of Global And Comparative Perspectives, Laurel S. Terry
Laurel S. Terry
This Article reviews the influence of comparative law during the past 100 years on the field of U.S. legal ethics. It begins by defining the field of legal ethics and then divides the last 100 years into three distinct comparative legal ethics eras. The first era consists of the time period between 1904 and 1973, during which there was both domestic and comparative legal ethics scholarship, although a relatively small amount compared to later years. The second time period, which dates from 1974, when legal ethics became a required course, to 1997, represents the coming of age of domestic legal …
Lawyers, Gats, And The Wto Accountancy Disciplines: The History Of The Wto's Consultation, The Iba Gats Forum And The September 2003 Iba Resolutions, Laurel S. Terry
Lawyers, Gats, And The Wto Accountancy Disciplines: The History Of The Wto's Consultation, The Iba Gats Forum And The September 2003 Iba Resolutions, Laurel S. Terry
Laurel S. Terry
This article addresses issues related to legal services and the General Agreement on Trade in Services or GATS. GATS Article VI:4 requires Member States to develop "any necessary disciplines." WTO Members currently are in the process of deciding whether to extend the WTO Accountancy Disciplines, S/L/64, to other service sectors, including legal services. In December 2002, the WTO sent the International Bar Association (IBA) (and other non-governmental organizations) a "consultation letter" requesting the IBA's views about changes it would like to see in the WTO Accountancy Disciplines. The IBA responded to the WTO consultation with the May 2003 IBA GATS …
Mdps, 'Spinning,' And Wouters V. Nova, Laurel S. Terry
Mdps, 'Spinning,' And Wouters V. Nova, Laurel S. Terry
Laurel S. Terry
In February 2002, the European Court of Justice issued its opinion in Wouters v. NOVA (Case C-309/99), which addressed a Netherlands Bar rule that prohibited partnerships (MDPs) between lawyers and accountants. Wouters decided: 1) that the bar was an undertaking that was subject to the competition (antitrust) provision in the EU Treaty; 2) that the Dutch MDP ban restricted competition and that this restriction on competition was appreciable and affected intra-community trade; 3) that the Dutch MDP ban could reasonably be considered necessary in order to ensure the proper practice of the legal profession; and 4) that it was reasonable …