Lawyers have a reputation for being greedy, narcissistic, and basically a donkey’s derriere. It is unclear where this negative association spiraled from, but this stereotype of lawyers as manipulative is something I have witnessed in the media through films such as The Firm and Michael Clayton. I have always watched these movies with a grain of salt, keeping in mind Hollywood’s tendency to blow things out of proportion. I decided to take a closer look at the actual code of ethics used by lawyers to see what was actually practiced in comparison to their perceived behavior.
I did not realize that every state has their own unique set of rules for legal conduct. I assumed that each state’s rules must not differ immensely since the American Bar Association was able to create overall guidelines. On the other hand, I was not the least bit surprised to see how excessive and detailed these codes were. Everything was covered from the proper way to communicate with a client to the specific duties of a lawyer. Lawyers are supposed to always be truthful, serve their client’s interest, respect third parties, and so much more (“Model Rules of Professional Conduct”). Reading these responsibilities did not deter me away, actually it solidified my interest since many of the rules aligned with my morals.
A video I came across, during my search, was about a human rights lawyer who had set aside her personal beliefs in order to represent her client’s needs. Watching this video made me realize that a lawyer’s job is not to judge or discriminate but to make sure they can represent every individual’s needs in spite of the fact that there are some terrible people out there. For the most part, I think I would be able to set aside my personal ideologies in order to be an effective attorney. The reality of the situation is that there probably are a ton of rude lawyers who represent despicable people, however not all lawyers are like that. As a future lawyer, overcoming ethical battles to represent clients while maintaining the legal code of conduct will be a major part of my everyday life.
By: Jasmine Shafquat
"ABA Model Rules Of Profesional Conduct." American Bar Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
"Gender Issues and Cultural Relativism." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment