Ethics and Professionalism in the Practice of Law

2 units

This course satisfies the J.D. ethics requirement. It is considered a survey ethics course. Students can take only one survey ethics course. Other recently offered survey courses offered include: Lawyer Ethics and Legal Profession. This 2-credit course will provide students with the practical skills necessary to identify ethics issues, both routine and complex, and help them identify the resources available to properly resolve those issues. In addition, the course will focus on professionalism in the practice of law and its importance in improving the public perception of lawyers. Students will benefit from an understanding of the importance of ethics and professionalism to their individual legal careers. While they may ultimately practice law in any number of different work settings and specialize in various substantive practice areas, ethics and professionalism will be a daily part of their practices. The course will therefore begin with an analysis of the legal profession and the interplay between (i) defining minimum standards below which behavior may not fall, (ii) establishing standards of ideal behavior toward which attorneys should aim but cannot realistically expect to reach, and (iii) giving practical advice that conforms to the lawyer's ethical responsibility. This analysis will also examine the lawyer's dual and somewhat contradictory role in society (i.e., citizens want lawyers to be understanding and socially responsible, but the same people freely admit that, when they have a problem, they want a lawyer who will play hardball). The course will examine, inter alia, specific ethical and professional issues relating to the attorney-client relationship, the duty of loyalty to the client, ethical issues in litigation, conflicts of interest, and advertising and the marketing of legal services. Hypotheticals and problems based on real situations will be used. Grades will be based on class attendance, class participation and a final exam. 2 credits.