Ethics & Professional Responsibility
Ethics is the philosophy of understanding what is morally right and wrong. Professional responsibility involves conducting yourself in a professional manner and upholding the code of ethics for your particular profession. In recent years, the ethics philosophy has spilled over into the professional arena. Nearly every profession has a code of ethics and professional responsibility. Ethics and professional responsibility have always been important in the field of law because of the personal nature of client-attorney relationships.Legal Associations and Organizations
There are a number of professional organizations, such as the American Bar Association, available for attorneys if they need additional information about ethics and professional responsibility. Topics covered include obligations that attorneys have to their clients, the public, and to the judicial system; standards for professional conduct, which are specific to each state; and a standard for professional conduct put forth by the American Bar Association, which also has issued a Code of Professional Responsibility.
Professionalism and Ethics Requirements
Some areas in the practice of law are affected more than others by ethics and professional responsibility. These include advertising in law, criminal law, family law, government law, litigation, multi-disciplinary practice, online legal services, and tax law. Many states require that licensed attorneys take a course in professionalism and ethics as part of their training, usually within a year of receiving their license to practice law. The course typically covers ethical dilemmas and focuses on how to solve them.
The Supreme Court in every state has the ultimate authority to regulate the legal profession and the conduct of its members; however, the state bar association generally is the entity to investigate, prosecute, and enforce disciplinary action against those who violate the code of ethical and professional responsibilities. Help is always available from the state bar association for those who face an ethical dilemma and need guidance.
Members of the public who feel that an attorney has violated any ethics or professional responsibility rules should also contact the state bar association. If found guilty of violating ethics rules, attorneys may voluntarily surrender their license, be temporarily suspended, disbarred, or granted a reinstatement of their license.
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