News & Developments

Ethics & Professionalism Goes to Hollywood

On Saturday, April 22, the Ethics and Professionalism Committee sponsored a program entitled “Lights, Camera, Ethics” at the Section of Litigation Annual Conference. Using clips from well-known legal films, Co-Chairs David Kendall and Alejandro Mayorkas, joinged by panelists Andrew G. Schultz and Coke Morgan Stewart addressed important topics in ethics and professionalism. Scenes from “My Cousin Vinny” were used to address Rule 1.1’s requirement of competence and Rule 3.3’s requirements of candor before a tribunal. Paul Newman’s dramatic rejection of a settlement offer in “The Verdict” was reexamined in view of Rule 1.4’s requirement that clients be informed of the status of matters. The conduct of a deposition in the film “Class Action” was used to examine junior attorney’s obligations to report the misconduct of their bosses under Rule 8.3. Finally, scenes from “A Time to Kill” and “A Civil Action” were employed to spark consideration of the Code of Judicial Conduct.

The program sparked lively discussion among the nearly 100 attendees, who raised questions as to whether the clips depicted genuine ethical violations and substantive concerns about reporting obligations and the ethical supervision of younger lawyers.

Task Force on the Model Definition of the Practice of Law: Report to the ABA House of Delegates

• » General Information | 
• » Final Report | 
• » Recommendation | 
• » Appendix A: State Definitions of the Practice of Law | 
• » Appendix B: Comments | 
• » Appendix C: GR 25 - Practice of Law Board |