Professional Responsibility (Sandman)
Faculty
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| James Sandman Distinguished Lecturer and Senior Consultant to the Future of the Profession Initiative james.j.sandman@gmail.com |
Additional Information
Satisfies Senior Writing RequirementNo
Class meets in person.
Meeting Times/Location
T 4:30PM - 6:20PM
Silverman Hall 240B
Category
Upper-Level
Credits
2.0
This course will prepare you to be a successful, sought-after lawyer who models integrity and high ethical standards. The course is practical. It draws on my experience in a big law firm, in government service, and as a public interest lawyer. It focuses not merely on the Rules of Professional Conduct, but also on how to serve clients effectively.
We will study starting and ending the lawyer-client relationship, lawyer-client decision-making, client confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. We will discuss the limits of proper advocacy, adversarial abuses, and lawyer discipline. We will explore how the rules regulating lawyers affect the functioning of the legal marketplace and access to justice for people who cannot afford a lawyer. We will see that you can be a great, wildly successful lawyer without ever having to compromise your principles.
The course will consider the different contexts in which lawyers practice – as advocates and as counselors, representing individuals and organizations, and working in law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies, public interest organizations, and legal aid and public defenders’ offices. No matter what kind of practice you intend to pursue, this course will be useful for you. Our guest speakers will include a former state Supreme Court Chief Justice, the Executive Director of a legal aid provider, the General Counsel of a Fortune-500 company, and the General Counsel of a big law firm.
Classes will be a combination of Socratic method and lecture. I do not cold-call. At the beginning of the semester, I designate several students for each class on whom I will call if there are no volunteers. I regard the people who take my course as colleagues, and I aim for a classroom atmosphere that is interesting, enjoyable, and respectful to all. I am available to discuss the course, to give career guidance, and to serve as a mentor both during my office hours and at any other time.
One class will be devoted to lawyer wellness, an important part of being an effective practitioner.
Our readings will be from the casebook Legal Ethics (8th ed. 2020), by Deborah L. Rhode, David Luban, Scott L. Cummings, and Nora Freeman. We will also use the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct, available free online at https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/model_rules_of_professional_conduct_table_of_contents/
Grades will be based on a takeaway final exam consisting of three essay questions.
Textbooks
"Legal Ethics" by Deborah L. Rhode, David Luban, Scott Cummings, and Nora Freeman |