The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Understanding the rules of lawyers' ethics -- The adversary system -- The lawyer's virtue and the client's autonomy -- Zealous representation : the pervasive ethic -- Lawyer-client trust and confidence -- The perjury trilemma -- Counseling clients, coaching witnesses, and cross-examining to discredit the truth -- The impartial judge -- Conflicts of interest : the ethic of prevention and of apperances -- Prosecutors' ethics -- Solicitation of clients : the professional responsibility to chase ambulances -- Lawyer's ethics in a time of crisis or change.

A text for lawyers and students of law which explores theoretical foundations, professional ethical requirements, the lawyer-client relationship, conflicts of interest, duties to the administration of justice, and duties in legal practice. The NZ Law Society's 'Rules of Professional Conduct' 1998 are included. Webb lectures in Law at Victoria University.

William Simon, a legal theorist with experience in practice, here argues that the profession's standard approach to questions of legal ethics is incoherent and implausible, insisting the critical weakness is the style of judgment.

How do lawyers resolve ethical dilemmas in the everyday context of their practice? What are the issues that commonly arise, and how do lawyers determine the best ways to resolve them? Until recently, efforts to answer these questions have focused primarily on rules and legal doctrine rather than the real-life situations lawyers face in legal practice. The first book to present empirical research on ethical decision making in a variety of practice contexts, including corporate litigation, securities, immigration, and divorce law, Lawyers in Practice fills a substantial gap in the existing literature. Following an introduction emphasizing the increasing importance of understanding context in the legal profession, contributions focus on ethical dilemmas ranging from relatively narrow ethical issues to broader problems of professionalism, including the prosecutor’s obligation to disclose evidence, the management of conflicts of interest, and loyalty to clients and the court. Each chapter details the resolution of a dilemma from the practitioner’s point of view that is, in turn, set within a particular community of practice. Timely and practical, this book should be required reading for law students as well as students and scholars of law and society.