Ethics and Indiscretions

Members of the legal profession must adhere to high ethical standards. Often, when attorneys are pushed to breaking points, they seek out detrimental outlets, which can result in potential issues and line crossing. Therefore, a discussion about key ethical rules is valuable.

This program will discuss the underlying themes of the ABA's Model Rules on Professional Conduct, particularly how ethical rules always defer to clients. In addition to the importance of loyalty and independent judgment in the lawyer’s relationship with the client, this course will examine the intricacies of the model rules, the nature of the client-lawyer relationship, and the consequences of violations.

Every attorney, regardless of experience or practice area, can benefit from learning about this crucial topic, especially given that this is a challenging moment for lawyers. Taking steps to review ethical issues will help better the profession and allow legal practitioners to better serve their clients.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the themes behind the Model Rules and how indiscretions fall on a sliding scale
• Recognize what acts are classified as inappropriate under the Model Rules
• Analyze case law that has resulted from attorney indiscretions