LAW 525: Professional Responsibility - fall

This course addresses the lawyer's ethical obligations under the ABA Rules of Professional Conduct. Lawyers are governed by professional rules and are subject to disciplinary sanctions for non-compliance. But the lawyer's duty to act ethically and professionally goes beyond the model rules. In addition to discussion of the ethical behavior demanded, the course will examine the rules of professional conduct and the values and responsibilities promoted through the rules. The course will explore how the rules' ethical requirements interplay with conscience and moral beliefs, and how adherence to the rules can create social, familial and religious dilemmas for attorneys. The course will address bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism, and will introduce (1) the importance of cross-cultural competency to professionally responsible representation, and (2) the obligation of lawyers to promote a justice system that provides equal access and eliminates bias, discrimination, and racism in the law. In addition, this course affords students an opportunity for the development of a professional identity. Professional identity focuses on what it means to be a lawyer and the special obligations lawyers have to their clients and society. The development of professional identity involves an intentional exploration of the values, guiding principles, and well-being practices considered foundational to successful legal practice.