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Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility

Mississippi College School of Law

Paragraph 20 Paradox

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The Paragraph 20 Paradox: An Evaluation Of The Enforcement Of Ethical Rules As Substantive Law, Donald E. Campbell Jan 2018

The Paragraph 20 Paradox: An Evaluation Of The Enforcement Of Ethical Rules As Substantive Law, Donald E. Campbell

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Paragraph 20 in the Scope section of the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules)-which most states have adopted-provides that a violation of the Model Rules "should not give rise to a cause of action against a lawyer[,] nor should it create any presumption in such a case that a legal duty has been breached." At the same time, Paragraph 20 provides that the Model Rules can be used as "evidence" of breach of a lawyer's standard of conduct. Thus, the Model Rules attempt to make it clear that ethical violations are distinct from substantive law …