Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons^™

The Future Of Legal Services: Legal And Ethical Implications Of The Lsc Restrictions - Legislative Issues Panel, Steven Epstein

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Each speaker is going to deliver some opening remarks followed by an open discussion with the audience. The Legislative Panel includes Alexander Forger, Dwight Loines, Dennis Saffran and Alan Houseman.

The Future Of Legal Services: Legal And Ethical Implications Of The Lsc Restrictions - Implementation Issues Panel, Staci Rosche

Fordham Urban Law Journal

A distinguished panel including Shirley Traylor, Jill Boskey, Valerie Bogart and Lucy Billings will describe how they have been directly affected in implementing the restrictions that have been handed down and how they have made their lives a little bit harder.

"Thinking Like A Lawyer" About Ethical Questions, William H. Simon

Faculty Scholarship

Suppose you had to pick the two most influential events in the recent emergence of ethics as a subject of serious reflection by the bar. Most likely, you would name the Watergate affair of 1974 and the appearance a few years earlier of an article by Monroe Freedman. The article was a discussion of what Freedman called the "Three Hardest Questions" surrounding the responsibilities of criminal defense lawyers^.

Of the two events, Watergate is the most famous but, for our purposes, the least important. It raised no challenging issues of professional responsibility. The lawyer conduct in Watergate that shocked …

Standards Of Review In Texas., W. Wendell Hall

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article presents a substantial and comprehensive update of the standards of review applied by Texas appellate courts. It focuses on appellate standards for reviewing trial court rulings on pretrial, trial, and posttrial proceedings. Standards of review distribute power within the judicial branch by defining the relationship between trial and appellate courts. These standards “frame the issues, define the depth of review, assign power among judicial actors, and declare the proper materials to review.” Sometimes a trial court’s errors are so egregious and harmful that reversing the trial court is relatively simple. When the trial court’s error is only marginal …

Texas Rule Of Civil Procedure 166a(I): A New Weapon For Texas Defendants Comment., Robert W. Clore

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Comment analyzes the Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 166a(i) for a “no evidence” motion and discusses its likely application in Texas courts. Part II reviews summary judgment practice in federal and Texas state courts in order to determine the likely construction of the new rule. Part III discusses Rule 166a(i) and explores the role of litigation reform in shaping the no-evidence motion. This part also addresses the procedural shortcomings of the new rule and compares Rule 166a(i) with federal summary judgment practice. Part IV assesses whether Rule 166a(i) violates the Texas Constitution by denying citizens the right to a …

Feminism And Defending Men On Death Row Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Phyllis L. Crocker

St. Mary's Law Journal

In this Essay I explore the relationship between being a feminist and representing men on death row. It is appropriate to engage in this inquiry in considering how the law has developed in the twenty-five years since Furman v. Georgia. During that time both Furman and the advent of feminist legal theory have required a restructuring in the way we think about two fundamental legal questions: for death penalty jurisprudence, how and why we sentence individuals to death; and for feminist jurisprudence, how the law views crimes of violence against women. The relationship between these two developments becomes apparent when …

The Constitutional Regulation Of Capital Punishment Since Furman V. Georgia Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Carol S. Steiker, Jordan M. Steiker

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Attorneys As Gatekeepers To The Court: The Potential Liability Of Attorneys Bringing Suits Based On Recovered Memories Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Cynthia Grant Bowman, Elizabeth Mertz

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Ethics And Unauthorized Practice Opinions In Regulating The Practice Of Law In Kentucky, William H. Fortune

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The purpose of this article is to discuss the role of ethics and unauthorized practice opinions in regulating the practice of law, with suggestions for clarification and improvement.

The Kentucky Bench and Bar, the quarterly journal of the Kentucky Bar Association ("KBA"), prints "Advisory Ethics Opinions" and "Unauthorized Practice Opinions" over the signatures of the respective chairs of the Ethics and Unauthorized Practice of Law ("UPL") Committees. This article describes: 1) how ethics and unauthorized practice opinions are generated; 2) the legal effect of the opinions; 3) the relationship of ethics opinions to attorney discipline; 4) the Board of Bar …

Kentucky Law Survey: Professional Responsibility, William H. Fortune

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This article is a survey of recent Kentucky ethics cases and Kentucky Bar Association ethics opinions. The cases and opinions selected are those of general application but special interest.

Rediscovering Fuller’S Legal Ethics, David Luban

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Lon Fuller is the greatest American philosopher to devote serious attention to the ethics of lawyers. Indeed, he is arguably the greatest philosopher since Plato to do so. I don't suggest that Fuller was a philosopher of Plato's magnitude, but it is not preposterous to mention Plato and Fuller in the same breath. Their unique affinity was that both were thinkers whose broader philosophical concerns may plausibly be said to arise from reflections on the craft of law. In Plato's case, the effort to understand forensic argument, and to analyze why opinions about justice might be persuasive without being true, …

The Need For New Bankruptcy Ethics Rules: How Can "One Size Fits All" Fit Anybody?, Nancy B. Rapoport

Scholarly Works

Short discussion why dormant, temporary, actual conflicts (DTACs) in bankruptcy cases can't be handled appropriately under state ethics rules.

The Relevance Of Religion To A Lawyer's Work: Legal Ethics, Leslie C. Griffin

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Is The Supreme Court Ready To Recognize Another Privilege? An Examination Of The Accountant-Client Privilege In The Aftermath Of Jaffee V. Redmond, Thomas J. Molony

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Lawyer Discrimination Against Clients: Outright Rejection--No; Limitations On Issues And Arguments-Yes, Sam Stonefield

Faculty Scholarship

The issue of lawyer discrimination brings new perspectives to traditional topics like the practice of law, the role of the lawyer and the relationship with, and rights of, the client. It forces us to examine the nature of lawyer discretion, the limits of that discretion and the consequences of trying to regulate that discretion. The examinationis a daunting task. This essay offers an approach that attempts to protect both the prohibition against discrimination and the practice of law and to accommodate the tension that necessarily accompanies this effort. It suggests that the best solution is to prohibit lawyers from discriminating …

A Practitioner's Review Of Civil Appeals Under The 1997 Texas Rules Of Appellate Procedure Comment., Reagan Wm. Simpson

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Toward Permissive Appeal In Texas., Renee Forinash Mcelhaney

St. Mary's Law Journal

A comparison of April Marketing & Distributing Corp. v. Diamond Shamrock Refining & Marketing Co. (“April Marketing”), which pended in federal court, and Barshop v. Medina County Underground Water Conservation District (“Barshop”), which pended in state court, illustrates the value of permissive appeal. Both cases had many early procedural similarities. Yet, the cases differ because the federal court allowed for a permissive appeal; the state court did not. The two cases later diverged procedurally, when the federal case was able to appeal the trial court’s interlocutory order denying motion for summary judgment. Lacking this option, the state case was forced …

The Role Of Variances In Determing Ripeness In Takings Claims Under Zoning Ordinances And Subdivision Regulations Of Texas Municipalities., John Mixon, Justin Waggoner

St. Mary's Law Journal

Texas zoning law follows the national standards in creating boards of adjustment. Unlike most states, Texas does not allow its boards of adjustment to grant so-called “use” variances. A variance is essentially a legal waiver from compliance with certain land-use regulations which is granted to a landowner by a government entity in certain limited cases. There are two general types of variances: the area variance and the use variance. Use variance permits the property in question to be used in a manner totally different than that allowed by the ordinance. Whereas the area variance only modifies or relaxes the degree …

Tangible Or Intangible - Is That The Question - Conflict In The Texas Tax Classification System Of Computer Software Comment., Christine E. Reinhard

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Comment evaluates tax classification of computer software in Texas under recent statutory provisions and case law. The author focuses on whether computer software constitutes tangible or intangible property and whether computer software should be taxable or not. Determining property classification is not easy—the term “computer software” is difficult to define, and the multitude of different types of computer software further obscures the formation of a uniform definition. The Texas legislature’s ability to tax both tangible and intangible property makes classifying computer software as either type unnecessary. Texas can resolve the conflict in its tax classification system, wherein computer software …

A Catholic Lawyer's View Of The Death Penalty Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Kevin M. Doyle

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Will Religious Teachings And International Law End Capital Punishment Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Robert F. Drinan

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.

Litigating State Capital Cases While Preserving Federal Questions: Can It Be Done Successfully Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Daniel Givelber

St. Mary's Law Journal

Although originally federal courts were sources of new rights available to those accused of capital crimes, federal courts have become extremely difficult to access. One reason for this is the United States Supreme Court showing a marked lack of interest in developing new constitutional doctrine helpful to the accused. Another reason for the diminished role is that access to federal courts is so difficult. Frequently, access is difficult because the issues lawyers want federal courts to address have never been adequately presented in state courts. Yet, federal venues remain essential to capital punishment litigation. It is considerably easier to define …

Victims' Rights And The Death-Sentenced Inmate: Some Observations And Thoughts Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Susan L. Karamanian

St. Mary's Law Journal

The concept of “victims’ rights” refers to the movement from the 1950s which focuses on enhancing the role of the victim in the criminal process. The movement changed dramatically the manner in which capital cases are investigated and prosecuted. Prosecutors may work with the victims’ families on whether to accept a plea bargain or whether to seek the death penalty. The victims’ families may now also provide victim impact statements to let their own suffering influence the jury during the sentencing phase. The right of the victim’s family to have a say in the process does not end with the …

From Grievance And Complaint To Sanction: Understanding & Bearing The Burden, John P. Sahl

Akron Law Faculty Publications

This article explores the complex and often opaque process of judicial and attorney discipline, focusing on the path from initial grievance to final sanction. It critically examines how complaints are evaluated, how disciplinary bodies function, and the burdens placed on both the complainant and the accused within this system. The author discusses procedural hurdles, evidentiary standards, and the discretionary nature of disciplinary outcomes, highlighting how these factors can lead to inconsistencies and perceived injustices. The article emphasizes the emotional, professional, and reputational toll on individuals involved and underscores the need for transparency, fairness, and support structures within the disciplinary process. …

Taking The Cop Out Of Copping A Plea: Eradicating Police Prosecution Of Criminal Cases, Andrew Horwitz

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Our House, Our Rules: The Need For A Uniform Code Of Bankruptcy Ethics, Nancy B. Rapoport

Scholarly Works

This article argues that there should be a separate code of professional responsibility for lawyers in bankruptcy cases.

Slashing And Burning Prisoners' Rights: Congress And The Supreme Court In Dialogue, Susan Herman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Demystifying The Extraordinary Writ: Substantive And Procedural Requirements For The Issuance Of Mandamus., Charles W. Rocky Rhodes

St. Mary's Law Journal

In Walker v. Packer, the Texas Supreme Court attempted to harmonize Texas jurisprudence regarding the standards for issuing a writ of mandamus. The Walker court initially reiterated the maxim that mandamus will issue “only to correct a clear abuse of discretion or the violation of a duty imposed by law when there is no other adequate remedy by law.” The Court defined “clear abuse of discretion” as “a decision so arbitrary and unreasonable as to amount to a clear and prejudicial error of law.” The Court subsequently reaffirmed the “fundamental tenant” of mandamus practice stating the extraordinary writ is not …

Capital Punishment In Jewish Law And Its Application To The American Legal System: A Conceptual Overview Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Samuel J. Levine

St. Mary's Law Journal

In recent years, a growing body of scholarship has developed in the United States which applies concepts in Jewish law to unsettled, controversial and challenging areas of American legal thought. One area of Jewish legal thought that has found prominence in both American court opinions and American legal scholarship concerns the approach taken by Jewish law to capital punishment. In this Essay, Levine discusses the issue of the death penalty in Jewish law as it relates to the question of the death penalty in American law, a discussion that requires the rejection of simplistic conclusions and the confrontation of the …

Victims' Rights And The Constitution: Moving From Guaranteeing Participatory Rights To Benefiting The Prosecution Symposium: Thoughts On Death Penalty Issues 25 Years After Furman V. Georgia., Robert P. Mosteller

St. Mary's Law Journal

Supporters of victims’ rights can be broadly grouped into three categories according to their basic goals. One category seeks to guarantee participatory rights in a governmental process (“Participatory Rights”). A second category of support for the victims’ rights amendment comes from those who are animated by a pro-prosecution, anti-defendant perspective on criminal law and procedure (“Prosecutorial Benefit”). The third group supporting victims’ rights is comprised of those who demand greater protection and support for victims by the government (“Victim Protection and Aid”). The first serious attempt to amend the United States Constitution on behalf of crime victims happened in 1982. …