Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons^™

Law As Rationalization: Getting Beyond Reason To Business Ethics, Jeffrey Marc Lipshaw

ExpressO

Embedded in the way we use the law is the tendency of human reason to justification, in the words of one philosopher, “the thirst for rationality that creates lies.” I contend that this tendency is exacerbated by the conflation of what is knowable as a matter of science, and that which we might believe is normative. I rely on Kant’s critique of theoretical and practical reason to assess claims to objectivity in social science approaches to law, and to suggest it is not surprising that the operation of theoretical and practical reason would tend to the conflation of the descriptive …

Feb. 2006, M. Warner, Odi, Opinions, New Benchmark For E&S Performance, Michael Warner

IFC E&S Performance Standards

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Sarbanes-Oxley: New Rules For Lawyers And What Lawyers Think, Olga Yevglevskaya-Wayne

ExpressO

This paper discusses practical implications of Sarbanes-Oxley for lawyers. Emphasis is on the new federal rules of professional responsibility the Act sets up. The paper includes the views of various renowned practitioners interpreting and using these rules. The paper also contains suggestions for how the Securities and Exchange Commission could potentially improve those areas that are proving problematic for attorneys so as to better effectuate the purpose of this major new law, in light of its legislative history and intent, which are also discussed in the paper.

What's In A Name?: Cause Lawyers As Conceptual Category, Corey S. Shdaimah

ExpressO

Stuart Scheingold's and Austin Sarat's "Something to Believe In: Politics, Professionalism, and Cause Lawyering," (Stanford University Press, December 2004) draws on a decade of empirical and theoretical work on cause lawyering. Scheingold’s and Sarat’s law and society scholarship contributes to our knowledge of lawyering, the law, work with clients and social movements, and the interplay between what Ewick and Silbey have called "legality" and the social world. Their cross-disciplinary work makes a significant contribution to the social sciences as well as to the field of legal studies. This review examines the utility of cause lawyering as a concept that contributes …

The Audit Committee's Ethical And Legal Responsibilities: The State Law Perspective, Lyman P.Q. Johnson

Scholarly Articles

This paper provides a state law perspective on the post-scandal, post-reform audit committee. Federal law, along with NYSE and Nasdaq (together, "SRO") rules, recently have made sweeping changes in corporate governance, including numerous provisions that bear on audit committees. These changes are unprecedented and dramatic, and rightly have received wide attention and careful study. Certain basic principles underlying the governance functions and duties of audit committees, however, originate in, and are still determined by, state law. Moreover, state law applies to all corporations; federal law and SRO rules on audit committees apply only to those companies coming under federal law …

What Would Make Atticus Finch Flinch?, Robert Westley

Florida A & M University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Everything I Wanted To Know About Teaching Law School I Learned From Being A Kindergarten Teacher: Ethics In The Law School Classroom, Debra Moss Curtis

Faculty Scholarship

This article discusses the ethics of teaching law school. It was not until the 1920s and 1930s that full-time law teachers, rather than part-time practitioners or judges, held the main responsibility for teaching at many law schools. When this shift began to occur, the field of "law professor" was born, and there arose the need for rules in all areas governing law professors, including ethics. Today, most law professors in the United States are members of both the legal and teaching professions and therefore must comply with the ethical rules of each profession. However they may be professionally licensed, law …

2006 (Undated), Cao, Report Back On What Stakeholders Told Us, Cao

CAO General 1999-Present

No abstract provided.

All's Fair In Love And Divorce: Why Divorce Attorney's Fees Should Constitute A Dissipation Of Marital Assets In Order To Retain Equity In Marital Property Distributions, Sarah C. Acker

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Standards Of Practice For Pension Practitioners, 39 J. Marshall L. Rev. 667 (2006), David Pratt

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Inherent Attorney Conflicts Of Interest Under Erisa: Using The Model Rules Of Professional Conduct To Discourage Joint Representation Of Dual Role Fiduciaries, 39 J. Marshall L. Rev. 721 (2006), Paul M. Secunda

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

First Do No Harm: Law Professor Misconduct Toward Law Students, Lisa G. Lerman

Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

A Double Standard For Lawyer Dishonesty: Billing Fraud Versus Misappropriation, Lisa G. Lerman

Scholarly Articles

In this Article, I examine the dishonest billing practices alleged to have occurred and the analysis of the dishonesty by the Hearing Committee and the court. I offer a critique of the investigation of the case, the findings of fact and the legal standards applied. I compare this billing fraud case to the leading case on misappropriation of client funds in the District of Columbia. I argue that the decision-makers (Hearing Committee, Board on Professional Responsibility, and court of appeals) have gone to great lengths to avoid addressing the very grave dishonesty that led to this disciplinary matter. I speculate …

A Legal Career For All Seasons: Remembering St. Thomas More’S Vocation, Veryl Victoria Miles

Scholarly Articles

The vast majority of the work taking place in most law schools is the preparation of law students for the practice of law; namely, to teach legal theory and doctrine, legal analysis, writing, and advocacy. In sum, the goal of most law schools is to teach the many different skills required in law practice and the professional rules of legal ethics. What appears to be lacking in the preparation of future lawyers are lessons on how to incorporate this vast amount of specialized learning and skill in ways that will be harmonious with the personal, moral, and ethical values that …

Voices From The Stars? America's Generals And Public Debates, Charles J. Dunlap Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Rat Race As An Information Forcing Device, Mitu Gulati, Scott Baker, Stephen J. Choi

Faculty Scholarship

In many job settings, there will be some promotion criteria that are less amenable to measurement than others. Often, what is difficult to measure is more important. For example, possessing "good judgment" under pressure may be a better predictor of success as a law firm partner than the ability to bill a vast amount of hours. The first puzzle that this essay explores is why, in some promotion settings, organizations appear to focus on less important, but measurable, criteria such as hours billed. The answer lies in the relationship between the objectively measurable criteria on the one hand, and the …

Standard Of Care For Residents And Other Medical School Graduates In Training, Joseph H. King

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Afterword: Elite Principles: The Ali Proposals And The Politics Of Law Reform, Carl E. Scheider

Book Chapters

The Reporters of the PRINCIPLES were distinguished legal scholars who produced a serious and ambitious document. The contributors to the present volume subject the PRINCIPLES to probing, thoughtful, and illuminating analysis. At the volume's beginning, Professor Glendon puts the problems of family law in a broader perspective by examining the challenges families today face in living good lives. Now, at the volume's close, I want to put both the PRINCIPLES and the essays in a broader perspective. I need not vivisect the PRINCIPLES; that is admirably done by the essayists. Rather, I proffer a tool for understanding the PRINCIPLES more …

Self-Determination In International Mediation: Some Preliminary Reflections, Jacqueline Nolan-Haley

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Few concepts have generated as much discussion in the postwar international legal system as that of "self-determination." Scholars debate the proper identity of the "selves" endowed with this right, its boundaries and its normative relevance. When the focus turns to mediation, the discussion becomes murky because the concept of self-determination has both procedural and substantive components and is noticeably different in the private and public sectors.

What Private Mediators Can Learn From The Peace-Builders, Kenneth Fox

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

The purpose of this article is to examine "mediation" and facilitated intervention from the perspective of the peace and conflict studies field. My hope is to provoke deeper thinking and broader consideration of how we, as professionals, can be more informed and intentional interveners in the service of constructive conflict response.

Sandbagging Closed Texas Courtrooms With Senate Bill 15: The Texas Legislature's Attempt To Control Frivolous Silicosis Claims Without Restricting The Constitutional Rights Of Silicosis Sufferers., John G. George

St. Mary's Law Journal

In the 1980s, Texas became a focal point for silicosis litigation. Statutes enacted to limit the liability of employers were not broad enough to limit the liability of silica sand suppliers. The increased number of claims are restricting the ability to receive compensation for those who truly deserve it. While the number of deaths has dropped dramatically, the number of claims has increased. Recently enacted Senate Bill 15 (S.B. 15) is the Texas Legislature’s answer to problems created by the large amount of frivolous silica-related claims. The goal of S.B. 15 is to protect the rights of those with silica …

Appellate Standards Of Conduct As Adopted In Texas The Fifth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility: Essays., Catherine Stone

St. Mary's Law Journal

It was not until 1987 that the State Bar of Texas created an Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section. As lawyers began concentrating on appellate law as a specialty, other practitioners began to realize that appellate practice requires a unique skill set. As recognition of this skill set grew, litigators began hiring these specialized lawyers to assist in preserving error at the trial level. Over the years, the need for a more professional approach to the practice of appellate law persisted until the “Standards of Appellate Conduct” (the Standards) was jointly adopted by the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of …

Hurricane Katrina: The Duties And Responsibilities Of An Attorney In The Wake Of A Natural Disaster The Fifth Annual Symposium On Legal Malpractice And Professional Responsibility: Comment., Brenna G. Nava

St. Mary's Law Journal

Hurricane Katrina ravaged the legal system as well as the corporate world by leaving courtrooms and law firms filled with water. In the storm’s aftermath the luckiest law firms were those large enough to have offices in cities other than those directly affected by the hurricane. Many recent disasters have heavily affected the legal system, including flooded basements, office fires, hard drive crashes, terrorist attacks, tornados or earthquakes. And each new disaster brings different consequences. Those who create disaster plans are better equipped to handle and recover from each new series of setbacks. While various firms and courts made plans …

Standard Of Care For Residents And Other Medical School Graduates In Training, Joseph H. King

American University Law Review

No abstract provided.

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

Scholarly Works

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 …

2006 (Undated), Cao, Draft Retrospective Review Of Cao Effectiveness, Cao

CAO General 1999-Present

No abstract provided.

Expecting Too Much And Too Little Of Lawyers, Eugene R. Gaetke

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The regulation of lawyers' behavior remains a controversial topic. Over the past hundred years, the organized bar has engaged in a number of efforts to generate rules governing lawyers' conduct. Still, prominent lawyers and jurists, the public media, and legal scholars perceive an ongoing decline in the profession's ethics.

Bar leaders tend to respond to the problem by calling for greater "professionalism" among practicing lawyers. Drawing on professional images from earlier times, they urge lawyers to look beyond the rules and to be more virtuous, selfless, independent of clients, and dedicated to justice.

A number of commentators go further. These …

Tortured Legal Ethics: The Role Of The Government Advisor In The War On Terror, Jessica Radack

University of Colorado Law Review

The so-called "torture memos" beg for a re-examination of government lawyers' ethical obligations, especially when acting as advisors, not advocates. This article explores the two major models of government lawyers' ethics: the "agency" approach, which stresses the duties of loyalty, zeal and confidentiality and disfavors attorney interference with client goals, and the "public interest" approach, which places greater weight on fairness and justice, and wants lawyers to weigh in on the wisdom and morality of what their clients are considering. This article argues that an Eighth Amendment analysis should be employed to determine what constitutes a "morally perilous question. " …

Eliminating Political Maneuvering: A Light In The Tunnel For The Government Attorney-Client Privilege, Patricia E. Salkin, Allyson Phillips

Scholarly Works

The long recognized common-law privilege afforded to certain conversations between attorneys and their clients has been the subject of troubling opinions when the lawyer and client are high ranking government officials. In a series of opinions from the 7th, 8th and D.C. Circuit Courts of Appeals, the courts refused to recognize the existence of the attorney-client privilege for the government actors under the circumstances surrounding the cases. However, recent opinions from the 2nd Circuit state that these other courts were simply wrong, setting the stage perhaps, for the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve the issue. Whether this privilege is equally …

Some Preliminary Statistical, Qualitative, And Anecdotal Findings Of An Empirical Study Of Collegiality Among Law Professors, Michael L. Seigel, Kathi Minor-Rubino

UF Law Faculty Publications

In advance of a sophisticated analysis of the survey data, one must be very careful in drawing any overall conclusions about the state of collegiality and workplace well-being in legal academia. Certainly, no correlative assertions can be made. Nevertheless, this preliminary review has revealed some noteworthy information. Certainly, law faculties are far from perfectly collegial associations, and many if not most law professors have a gripe of one sort or another. Despite these facts, however, the overwhelming majority of faculty members appear to be happy with their choice of career. The qualitative data also leaves one with the impression that, …