Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility (Paperback)

The importance of ethical behaviour and professional responsibility has long been something that lawyers have insisted is a hallmark of their chosen profession. And in spite of public perception to the contrary, many lawyers would argue that the rigorous process through which they must pass to be admitted to the Bar, and the institutionalized code of conduct to which they must adhere if they wish to remain at the Bar, make discussion of these matters necessary or of consequence only when considering isolated and occasional cases of abherent behaviour.
In "Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility," Allan Hutchinson makes a convincing case that this view no longer serves the profession well. He argues that the profound changes in the way in which law is practised, and the demographic shifts among those who practise it, demand a new and systematic approach to the subject--one that stresses personal responsibility over professional regulation. Professor Hutchinson's book is both an accessible introduction to legal ethics and professional responsibility for students of law and a provocative call to arms for the profession as a whole.