LAW 564LEC - Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility

This course examines the ethical standards and legal obligations of lawyers and the contextual factors that lead to ethical failures. We will discuss real life problems using the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the Restatement (Third) of the Law Governing Lawyers, statutes, case law, and ethics opinions that govern lawyer behavior and the lawyer’s duties to the client, third parties, the courts and the public. This course will focus not just on learning the rules, but understanding and recognizing the circumstances in which lawyers violate the rules. An understanding of the rules accompanied by critical self-awareness helps the lawyer recognize pitfalls before they become serious and gives students the analytical tools they need to make good decisions. The course fulfills the 3-credit ethics requirement and must be taken in second year.

Credits: 3