Lawyers in common law systems today sense that they are subjects of unprecedented investigation, criticism, and attack. Yet finding responses to public criticism is not easy. This is the first collection of chapters on legal ethics which addresses the subject from a comparative perspective. There is no similar work in the US. The empirical research from which the conference originally sprang remains a rare example of collaborative research between academic and practising lawyers. From the professor's side, public concern at the cost and quality of justice is forcing them to look beyond practit ... More

Lawyers in common law systems today sense that they are subjects of unprecedented investigation, criticism, and attack. Yet finding responses to public criticism is not easy. This is the first collection of chapters on legal ethics which addresses the subject from a comparative perspective. There is no similar work in the US. The empirical research from which the conference originally sprang remains a rare example of collaborative research between academic and practising lawyers. From the professor's side, public concern at the cost and quality of justice is forcing them to look beyond practitioners' manuals and the trade press for ideas. From the academic side there is great interest in the study of ethics and culture in the legal profession and the answers which this study may provide to wider questions concerning the content and practice of law at the access-to-justice debate. The book aims to reflect on some of the key issues, suggest possible arguments which might lead to solutions, and to provide strategies for devising more ‘ethical’ practices.