Grand Unified Theory of Legal Ethics & Professionalism

This seminar focuses on the relationships among legal-ethics standards, enforcement standards, inherent judicial power, the constitutional separation of powers, and the broader constitutional duty of the legal profession to "protect liberty writ large" as the collective foundational principles defining "professionalism" as standards of conduct more demanding than the minimum standard for avoiding disciplinary action for unprofessional conduct (i.e., misconduct). Just as the term "sportsmanship" connotes a type of conduct that is far more than conduct that merely fails to deserve condemnation as "unsportsmanlike," "professionalism" connotes a type of conduct that is far more than conduct that merely fails to warrant disciplinary action. Professionalism connotes how we ought to behave as lawyers rather than merely how we must behave in order to avoid disciplinary action. It's easy for a seminar on "professionalism" to be perceived as a lecture on "platitudes," but it's my goal for the interactive nature of this seminar to instigate lively debate on substantively important aspects of "professionalism."

Course Time Schedule: 

Eastern Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM 

Central Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Mountain Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Pacific Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Alaska Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM