LAW 6784

LAW 6784

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

This course explores ethical issues relating to the legal profession. It has two aims—one immediate, the other more lofty. The immediate aim is to help prepare students for the MPRE. The loftier aim, by contrast, is to investigate the many ways in which one's professional responsibilities might conflict with one's personal obligations, self-interest or moral ideals. What should a lawyer do when her professional duties conflict with her financial interests, obligations to friends or family, or her religious beliefs? Why might it be justified for a lawyer to defend a client she knows to be guilty? Is it an excuse that one was "just following orders"? We will investigate such questions by reading relevant legal opinions, as well as work by legal academics and moral philosophers. Students will take several smaller exams to test their mastery of central ethical rules governing the conduct of lawyers, and complete short writing assignments on the theoretical questions discussed in class.

When Offered Spring.

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 16018 LAW 6784   LEC 001