Legal Profession

3 units

[This course is considered a survey ethics course and satisfies the J.D. ethics requirement. Students can take only one survey ethics course.] The goal of this course is to prepare students for the ethical dilemmas they will face as practicing lawyers. The course will examine the nature and types of lawyer regulation, client-attorney relationships, confidentiality rules, conflicts of interest, duties to courts, adversaries and third parties, client solicitation and billing, and access to legal services. The course will primarily address the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct but will also consider ethical duties under common law and other sources of authority. Through a combination of lecture, class discussion, and video/film clips, the classes will focus on the skills of identifying and resolving the ethical issues lawyers face in practice and on the professional values of providing competent legal representation and promoting justice and fairness. Regular class attendance and participation are required. Grades will be based on a limited open-book, in-class final exam (students may only use their copy of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct). 3 units