Law Commons^™

How Money For Legal Scholarship Disadvantages Feminism, Martha T. Mccluskey

Journal Articles

A dramatic infusion of outside money has shaped legal theory over the last several decades, largely to the detriment of feminist theory. Nonetheless, the pervasive influence of this funding is largely ignored in scholarly discussions of legal theory. This denial helps reinforce the marginal position of feminist scholarship and of women in legal theory. Conservative activists and funders have understood the central role of developing community culture and institutions, and have helped shift the prevailing framework for discussion of many questions of theory and policy through substantial investments in law-and-economics centers and in the Federalist Society. Comparing the institutional resources …

Putting Watergate Behind Us: Salinas, Sun-Diamond, And Two Views Of The Anticorruption Model, George D. Brown

George D. Brown

A central question in the ongoing debate over the future of the American political system is how to deal with public corruption. This Article first examines the dominant theme of the last thirty years: a relatively hard-line approach that Professor Brown refers to as the post-watergate concensus. In recent years, however, this approach has been subject to growing criminalization of government ethics; Professor Brown then turns to what can be viewed as the counterrevolutionary critique. Against this background, he considers the United States Supreme Court's contribution to the debate. Starting with the recent Sun-Diamond and Salinas cases, and drawing from …

Contemporary Approaches To Trusts And Estates, Susan Gary, Jerome Borison, Naomi Cahn, Paula Monopoli

Paula A Monopoli

This book uses cases and statutory materials along with exercises and problems to integrate legal analysis and practice skills. The book can be used in a three- or four-credit course with or without the exercises, and sample syllabi are included in the Teacher’s Manual.

Acting "A Very Moral Type Of God": Triage Among Poor Clients, Paul R. Tremblay

Paul R. Tremblay

No abstract provided.

Social Media And Legal Ethics, Jonathan I. Ezor

Jonathan I. Ezor

A presentation on the legal issues arising out of attorney use of social media services, including for electronic discovery

Musings On Mediation, Kleenex, And (Smudged) White Hats, Nancy A. Welsh

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay speculates on the global future of mediation. It anticipates that mediation’s popularity will continue to grow both in the U.S. and abroad particularly as courts continue to encourage and institutionalize the process. Meanwhile, the Essay acknowledges the existence and continuing development of a relatively small cadre of elite lawyers and retired judges who serve as private mediators in large, complex matters.

The Essay also raises concerns, though, regarding the current lack of clarity in the goals and procedural characteristics that define mediation. The Essay asserts that such lack of clarity invites abuse of the mediation privilege and exclusionary …

Toward An Ecclesiastical Professional Ethic: Lessons From The Legal Profession, Daniel R. Coquillette, Judith A. Mcmorrow

Judith A. McMorrow

As the Catholic Church struggles with the aftermath of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, some have explored the possibility of an ecclesiastical code of professional conduct. Lawyers' long and storied history with professional codes offers a cautionary tale to those exploring an ecclesiastical code of ethics. As priests to our secular religion of law, lawyers are called forth and mandated by a competent authority to function in a defined role, the specifics of which are reflected, in part, in lawyer codes. As lawyers moved from Canons of Ethics (1908) to a Code of Professional Responsibility (1969) to Rules of Professional …

The Ethics Of Genetic Patenting And The Subsequent Implications On The Future Of Health Care, Suzanne Ratcliffe

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Toward An Ecclesiastical Professional Ethic: Lessons From The Legal Profession, Daniel R. Coquillette, Judith A. Mcmorrow

Daniel R. Coquillette

As the Catholic Church struggles with the aftermath of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, some have explored the possibility of an ecclesiastical code of professional conduct. Lawyers' long and storied history with professional codes offers a cautionary tale to those exploring an ecclesiastical code of ethics. As priests to our secular religion of law, lawyers are called forth and mandated by a competent authority to function in a defined role, the specifics of which are reflected, in part, in lawyer codes. As lawyers moved from Canons of Ethics (1908) to a Code of Professional Responsibility (1969) to Rules of Professional …

To Catch A Criminal, To Cleanse A Profession: Exposing Deceptive Practices By Attorneys To The Sunlight Of Public Debate And Creating An Express Investigation Deception Exception To The Aba Model Rules Of Professional Conduct, Tory L. Lucas

Faculty Publications and Presentations

“In undertaking the privilege to practice law, I do solemnly swear that I will lie, deceive, misrepresent, and engage in fraud in order to serve my client’s and my own personal interests.”

It is doubtful that any American attorney believes that he or she has sworn such an oath (or openly advocates the use of such an oath for newly sworn attorneys). But does every American attorney share the same understanding of whether attorneys may ethically engage in deception? The issue of attorney deception has not enjoyed a thorough, open discussion necessary for a consistently applied standard on that issue. …

Mid-Atlantic Ethics Committee Newsletter, Fall 2011-Winter 2012

Mid-Atlantic Ethics Committee Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Forgoing Drugs On Grounds Of Cost: A Perspective From Catholic Health Care Ethics And Social Teaching, Janine Marie Idziak

Marquette Elder's Advisor

No abstract provided.

Revising Canada's Ethical Rules For Judges Returning To Practice, Stephen Ga Pitel, Will Bortolin

Dalhousie Law Journal

It has recently become more common for retired Canadian judges to return to the practice of law This development raises an array of ethical considerations and potential threats to the integrity of the administration of justice. Although most codes of legal ethics contemplate the possibility of former judges returning to practice, the rules on this particular topic are dated, under-analyzed, and generally inadequate. This article reviews the Canadian ethical rules that specifically relate to former judges and identifies their shortcomings. In doing so, the authors consider, for comparative purposes, Canadian ethical rules directed at former public officers who return to …

Contemporary Approaches To Trusts And Estates, Susan N. Gary, Jerome Borison, Naomi R. Cahn, Paula A. Monopoli

Paula A Monopoli

This book uses cases and statutory materials along with exercises and problems to integrate legal analysis and practice skills. The book can be used in a three- or four-credit course with or without the exercises, and sample syllabi are included in the Teacher’s Manual.

Courage In The Holocaust, Lawrence Raful

Lawrence Raful

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Organizational Ethics, Evan Slavitt

Evan Slavitt

Whether an organization is ethical or not has become an increasingly important question both in public and legislative discourse as well as in the application of tort and criminal law. Historical approaches to organizational ethics have either attempted to evade the problem or sought to use paradigms developed for individuals. This Article reviews the various models that have already been proposed and explains why those models are unsatisfactory, focusing particularly on the attempts to articulate an organizational substitute for individual intent. The article then proposes a new framework that differentiates the various aspects of organizations and clarifies how ethical questions …

The Practical Soul Of Business Ethics: The Corporate Manager's Dilemma And The Social Teaching Of The Catholic Church, Leo L. Clarke, Bruce P. Frohnen, Edward C. Lyons

Edward C. Lyons

This Article focuses on and attempts to dispel an overly narrow view of the moral responsibilities of corporations and their managers. Many businessmen and lawyers, relying on prevailing approaches to business ethics, labor under the misperception that the moral ladder in the business world has only one rung: "Be honest." Americans, however, should, can and do expect more from the managers of our large corporations, and virtually every Fortune 100 company publicly espouses a "social responsibility" far exceeding mere honesty. Further, as is demonstrated, American jurisprudence is consistent with those expectations. This Article's thesis is that Catholic Social Teaching provides …

Does 'Sorry' Incriminate? Evidence, Harm And The Meaning Of Apologies, Jeffrey S. Helmreich

Jeffrey S. Helmreich

Apology has proven a dramatically effective means of resolving conflict and preventing litigation. Still, many injurers, particularly physicians, withhold apologies because they have long been used as evidence of liability. Recently, a majority of states in the U.S. have passed “Apology Laws” designed to lift this disincentive, by shielding apologies from evidentiary use. However, most of the new laws protect only expressions of benevolence and sympathy (such as “I feel bad about what happened to you”). They exclude full apologies, which express regret, remorse or self-criticism (“I should have prevented it,” for example). The state measures thereby reinforce a prevailing …

.Compelling Orthodoxy: Myth And Mystique In The Marketing Of Legal Education, Kenneth Lasson

Kenneth Lasson

Abstract In many ways the story of modern legal education reads like a grim fairy tale, whose moral dénouement is no less compelling and perhaps more consequential than its fabulist forbears. Today's law schools are preoccupied with their reputations -- as much a survival instinct as anything else. The competition for bright students and talented faculty is more intense than ever, and marketing has increasingly come to be treated as a consideration at least as important as the actual academic enterprise. Thus do administrators seek to adopt a strategic identity plans – “building the brand” in the common parlance of …

Sleeping And Dreaming: How Law Firms Undermine Diversity And Increase Client Costs Through High Billable Hour Requirementsr, Theresa M. Beiner

Theresa M. Beiner

This article takes on two competing concerns that currently plague corporate counsel B the desire for a diverse legal workforce and a need to lower the costs of outside counsel. This article posits that in-house corporate counsel can achieve both these objectives by insisting that their outside counsel work less. Using data from a variety of disciplines, the article shows that not only are large law firms difficult places for women to succeed, but they also foster work environments that are inefficient and therefore cost clients more. Lowering billable hours will help solve both these problems. Studies of lawyers suggest …

Funding Gideon's Promise By Viewing Excessive Caseloads As Conflicts Of Interests, Heidi R. Anderson

Heidi R Anderson

Some states recently have attempted to legislate around a defendant’s constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel via a novel two-step method. Step one is to allocate insufficient funds for public defense, which results in excessive caseloads for public defenders. Sadly, that step is nothing new. Step two—the one that has slipped by without sufficient notice or criticism—is to bar a public defender from withdrawing from representation based on his excessive caseload. Ultimately, this statutory two-step further entrenches the systematic deprivation of defendants’ Sixth Amendment rights to effective assistance.

In this article, I urge courts to “constitutionalize” the excessive caseload …

Information Overload, Multi-Tasking, And The Socially Networked Jury: Why Prosecutors Should Approach The Media Gingerly, Andrew Taslitz

Andrew E. Taslitz

The rise of computer technology, the internet, rapid news dissemination, multi-tasking, and social networking have wrought changes in human psychology that alter how we process news media. More specifically, news coverage of high-profile trials necessarily focuses on emotionally-overwrought, attention-grabbing information disseminated to a public having little ability to process that information critically. The public’s capacity for empathy is likewise reduced, making it harder for trial processes to overcome the unfair prejudice created by the high-profile trial. Market forces magnify these changes. Free speech concerns limit the ability of the law to alter media coverage directly, and the tools available to …

Ethical Issues In Business And The Lawyer's Role, Robert J. Rhee, Carol Morgan, Tamar Frankel, Mark Fagan

Robert Rhee

No abstract provided.

The Emperor Gideon Has No Clothes: The Empty Promise Of The Constitutional Right Of Effective Assistance Of Counsel, Richard Klein

Richard Daniel Klein

No abstract provided.

Florida Appellate Mediation: Promising New Rules And Ethical Challenges, Erin E. Bohannon

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ethical Problems In Class Arbitration, Andrew Powell, Richard A. Bales

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This article examines two significant conflicts of interest that arise in class arbitration in six parts. Part II provides background on the recent evolution of class arbitration, explaining how the Supreme Court had decided several cases involving class arbitration but has not explicitly ruled that class actions are either permitted or forbidden. Part III discusses the conflicts of interest that could arise at the beginning of class arbitration. Part IV discusses conflicts of interest that arise at the end of class arbitration. Part V of this article argues that if and when Congress amends the Federal Arbitration Act to statutorily …

Introductory Note: Symposium On Lawyering And Personal Values – Responding To The Problems Of Ethical Schizophrenia, Samuel J. Levine

Samuel J. Levine

In recent years, legal practitioners and scholars alike have identified a growing crisis in the legal profession. Increasingly, lawyers feel dissatisfied with the roles they are expected to play and the conduct demanded of them. In particular, many lawyers see a widening gap between their personal values and those employed in legal practice. In response to the dichotomy between personal and professional values, some lawyers attempt to develop a corresponding dichotomy in their personalities, separating the “professional self” from the “personal self.” Such a response, however, may lead to a kind of “ethical schizophrenia,” a condition in which an individual …

A Look At American Legal Practice Through A Perspective Of Jewish Law, Ethics, And Tradition: A Conceptual Overview, Samuel J. Levine

Samuel J. Levine

Levine examines the roles of legislative and judicial bodies, in the context of a discussion of broader principles of legislation in the Jewish legal system. In recent years, American legal scholars have increasingly looked to Jewish law as a model of an alternative legal system that considers many of the issues present in the American legal system. In relation to the roles of legislative and judicial bodies, the Jewish legal system provides a particularly illuminating contrast to the American legal system, in part because in Jewish law, the same authority, the Sanhedrin, or High Court, serves in both a legislative …

All Your Eggs In One Basket: Why Contract Law Proves Unreliable In Frozen Embryo Adoption Cases, Austin R. Caster

Austin R Caster

This article will show why infertile couples cannot unequivocally rely on good faith, consensual contracts in cases of assisted reproductive technology because the law is so unsettled. Each section will show why, because of alleged public policy implications, contract doctrines or clauses such as (1) the termination of parental rights, (2) the doctrine of waste, and (3) liquidated damages still remain almost completely unreliable in a matter regarding assisted reproductive technology. Though this uncertainty affects infertile couples trying to complete their families through various methods including adoption, surrogacy, in vitro fertilization, and artificial insemination, this article will focus on cases …

Legal Services Lawyers And The Influence Of Third Parties On The Lawyer-Client Relationship: Some Thoughts From Scholars, Practitioners, And Courts, Samuel J. Levine

Samuel J. Levine

Among the challenges facing the lawyer who renders legal services to clients with limited means are ethical and professional questions relating to the influence of third parties on the lawyer-client relationship. Although all lawyers may potentially face ethical dilemmas involving third parties, legal services lawyers are particularly vulnerable to such issues because, unlike most lawyers, legal services lawyers generally rely on the financial support of someone other than their client. These challenges may take many forms, affecting a variety of ethical and professional considerations. Levine examines a number of areas in which bar association committees, scholars, and courts have addressed …