Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons^™

The Panic Defense And Model Rules Common Sense: A Practical Solution For A Twenty-First Century Ethical Dilemma, Teresa M. Garmon

Georgia Law Review

The attorney-client relationshipremains one of the most
highly regarded associations in society and is of
indispensable importance for criminal defendants, but it
is not a relationship that lasts forever. The Model Rules of
Professional Conduct (Model Rules) not only allow
breaking this affiliation, but also sometimes demand it.
Yet, in other circumstances, the Model Rules and judicial
custom may force an attorney to proceed with a
representation-even in the face of fundamental
disagreement with the core defense in a criminal case.
Through the avenue of the gay panic defense, this Note
explores how attorneys can become trapped between their
own …