Ethics for the Legal Professional

Ethics for the Legal Professional, 8e by Deborah Orlik sets the standard for professional responsibility textbooks. Written for the paralegal, its upbeat tone encourages students to stay engaged in the reading. Margin “Challenge Assignments” invite students to research and apply their own state laws to common ethical problems. Video cases are available online and offer a contemporary approach to class discussion. Additional cases and vignettes fill each chapter and help students apply concepts to real situations. This edition includes more on online self-testing and research assignments, while referencing the latest case law for each of the 50 states. With its lively narrative and state-specific approach, this book tackles important ethical issues and builds marketable research and critical-thinking skills.

1.      Regulation of the Legal Profession

2.      Unauthorized Practice of Law

3.      Confidentiality

4.      Conflicts of Interest—The Duty of Loyalty

5.      Advertising and Solicitation

6.      Fair Fees and Client Trust Accounts

7.      Competence and Negligence

8.      The Duty of Diligent Representation

9.      The Umbrella Duty of Integrity

APPENDIX A: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ASSISTANTS CODE OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY

APPENDIX B: NALS CODE OF ETHIDS

APPENDIX C: NATIONAL FEDERATION OF PARALEGAL ASSOCIATIONS, INC. MODEL CODE OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY

APPENDIX D: RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

APPENDIX E: ABA MODEL TO CALIFORNIA RULE TRANSLATION

Video Case Index

UPL: When friends ask for help

UPD: Helping the Client without Practicing Law

UPL: Traditional Exceptions

UPL: Interviewing the Client

UPL: Working with a Witness

UPL: Working with Experts

UPL: Improper Supervision

UPL: Helping the Client Fill Out forms

Privilege Issue: Misdirected E-mail

Confidentiality: Need to Know Circle

Confidentiality: Public Information

Confidentiality: Disclosure of Damaging Information

Confidentiality: Family Exception?

Attorney/Client Privilege

Conflict of Interest: Relationships with Clients

Conflict of Interest: Independent Paralegal

UPL: Disclosure of Status (Misrepresentation)

Fees and Fair Billing: Contemporaneous Timekeeping

Fees and Fair Billing: Using Time Effectively

Zealous Representation: When You Are Asked to Lie

Zealous Representation: Handling Evidence

Zealous Representation: Gifts to Judges