Ethical Shortfalls and Punishment

Attorneys have many responsibilities and obligations to uphold, as one’s moral approbation is an essential element of being an ethical attorney. Ethics do not stop at the rules, and the punishments are based on the aspects of the legal profession.

This course will explore questions such as: Why is one ethical violation worse than another? Why does one attorney deserve punishment for certain unethical behavior while another the punishment might be less severe? Relevant ABA Model Rules and cases and their relation to punishment will be discussed.

Any attorney can benefit from this course because every attorney deals with maintaining appropriate ethical standards.

Learning Objectives:

• Define a lawyer’s responsibilities
• Review relevant model rules on misconduct
• Explore how ethics shapes the profession through the analysis of some cases
• Examine moral turpitude as a basis for ethical discipline
• Assess the relevant model rules on competence
• Understand how ethical violations damage the profession as a whole