Richard A. Wasserstrom's article "Lawyers as Professionals: Some Moral Issues." Criticisms of lawyers are the topic in Richard A. Wasserstrom's article "Lawyers as Professionals: Some Moral Issues." Wasserstrom broke this topic into two main areas of discussion. The first suggests that lawyers operate with essentially no regard for any negative impact of their efforts on the world at large. Analysis of the relationship that exists between the lawyer and their client was the second topic of discussion. "Here the charge is that it is the lawyer-client relationship which is morally objectionable because it is a relationship which the lawyer dominates and in which the lawyer typically, and perhaps inevitably, treats the client in both an impersonal and a paternalistic fashion." Wasserstrom considers a few options with in his discussion concerning a multitude of aspects faced by lawyers. "The lawyer's situation is different from that of other professionals. The lawyer is vulnerable to some moral criticism that does not as readily or as easily attach to any other professional." Thi...
Paralegals have become an essential part of today's legal system, and as the profession becomes one of the leading and fastest growing occupations in the U.S. economy; these individuals perform delegated tasks under the supervision of attorneys. Education has played an important part on this matter; it has facilitated this development by allowing lawyers to use these skills professionals as agents to delegate specific tasks such as legal research, gathering of information and the drafting of specific legal documents under the supervision and final approval of their principals. This has been very significant because now; we can enjoy a speedy process in a cumbersome legal system. From en economic standpoint, it has also been beneficial by decreasing the substantial amount of the legal cost a firm could incur if only lawyers were allowed to perform this kind work.
Freedman, Monroe H., and Abbe Smith. Understanding Lawyers' Ethics. New Providence, NJ: LexisNexis, 2010. Print.
Weiss, M. S. (2005). A Study of Public Defender Motivations. In Public Defenders: Pragmatic and Political Motivations to Represent the Indigent (pp. 1-10). [Ebscohost]. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/
Throughout modern civilization, the American republic is widely known for its dependency upon the realm of business. Equally as vital, looms the ever-present hand of the American law system. “All beings have their laws: the Deity…man his laws” (Montesquieu,1), this statement serves true in founding that law is consistently a necessary portion in society because all society desires law. As a consequence of the continual presence of law, careers aimed to interpret the crevices of laws, and to defend them, are synonymously as necessary in society. Absolutely, the gain of America’s economy is a direct reflection of the lawyers who protect them. Lawyers are a necessity to the nation; serving their purpose as defenders of the law. The system of corporate law is undoubtedly the cornerstone of corporate finance, and as citizens begin to thrive more immensely in a capitalistic nation, legal representation will be the trailblazer to the continuation of the American system of corporations. As I embark upon the journey of excellence into the world of corporate law, I endeavor to change the way business is defended, upheld, and represented.
The definition of a lawyer is a person who practices or studies law. In Errol Morris’ interview of lawyer Murray Richman, Errol asks Murray many questions about the morality and some of his court cases involving the mobsters at the time. Some people may think Murray is in the wrong due to the fact that he is allowing crime to prevail. They say this because Murray is using his abilities as a lawyer to help his clients get acquitted in their court cases. This means that the mobsters who truthfully commit murder, may get off the hook due to Murray Richman. Murray is right to believe his actions are justified because he is simply doing his job as a lawyer and keeping his morals out of it.
Paralegals are continuing to assume new responsibilities in legal offices and perform many of the same duties as attorneys. Through formal education, training and experience, paralegals have knowledge and expertise regarding the legal system and law procedures, which qualify them to work under the supervision of an attorney. Along with preparing legal documents, contracts and other legal materials, a paralegal can also interview witnesses, and conducting legal research. The most important task a paralegal may have is helping an attorney prepare for hearings, trials, and meetings. Although a paralegal is trained to perform the same tasks as attorneys, they are explicitly prohibited from carrying out duties considered to be within the scope of the practice of law, such as setting legal fees, giving legal advice, submitting signed documents to court, and presenting cases in court. Paralegals are an essential part of today’s legal practice; furthermore, a competent paralegal can improve a law office’s profitability and the delivery of legal services. With these new responsibilities comes a higher level of demand and respect. In turn...
In Law and Popular Culture: Bad Lawyers in the Movies Asimow examines the portrayal of lawyers in films from 1929 through 1999, as well as those on television from Perry Mason in the late 1950’s and 1960’s to (then) present day shows such as The Practice and Law and Order. Asimow outlines theories for causes of the dec...
Although the legal profession is a single discourse community, it is made up of many smaller discourse communities. This is so because while all lawyers share the same broad goals of the legal profession and have a general knowledge and expertise in all areas of the law, most lawyers after graduating from law school and passing the bar exam specialize in a particular area of law. This specialization requires the lawyer to go beyond the broad concepts of law as a whole and to become knowledgeable and proficient in the sometimes minute details of a more specific area of law. Even then, some lawyers will go even further to focus on one aspect or another of that particular area of law. This results in most lawyers being members of many even smal...
One of the main reasons for the increased number of negotiated pleas is the difficulty of taking all cases to trial. The emphasis of the ethical concerns that arise from plea bargaining is on Kantian ethics. In relation to Kantian ethics, the issue that arise is guilty pleas made by innocent individuals and the voluntariness of all defendants to make the decision to plead guilty. Abolishment of the plea bargain could eventually do more harm than good. However, effective counsel resulting from ethical training can lead to the decline of wrongful
The Law Office of W. Christopher Weaver, PC, was created out of both duty and passion: a duty to practice the profession of law with integrity; a passion to help those among us who work hard and do the right thing, to no avail. We believe the more we work to protect the rights of these individuals, the better equipped these individuals will be to protect themselves and their families.
My major is Paralegal Studies and I expect to graduate with an Associates of Arts degree in December of this year. Many years ago, as an investigator for both a private company and a county agency, I was introduced to the legal field. Recently, I was awarded the opportunity to attend college, so I decided I wanted to reenter the legal profession as a paralegal. The paralegal profession appeals to me, because I enjoy the processes of developing a case, as well as its legal aspects. A paralegal is involved in a case from the beginning to the end; from the initial client interview to assisting the attorney during the client’s trial or the settlement process. My goal is to become a paralegal for a solo practitioner or a small firm in my local area who represent clients in different areas of the law.
'Lawyers are all right, I guess - but it doesn't appeal to me,' I said. 'I mean they're all right if they go around saving innocent guys' lives all the time, and like that, but you don't do that kind of stuff if you're a lawyer. All you do is make a lot of dough and play golf and play bridge and buy cars and drink Martinis and look like a hot-shot. How would you know you weren't being a phony? The trouble is, you wouldn't' (Salinger 172).
Literature commonly depicts lawyers as justice-seeking protagonists, and though this is done in Anatomy of a Murder, when analyzed, Paul Biegler’s actions did more to subvert justice than to achieve it, and because of this justice is not achieved. Biegler does this in two ways. First, he coaches Manion into taking up an insanity plea, and continues to pursue this argument, despite knowing Manion was in control of his actions at the time of the murder. Secondly, he adopts the persona of a “small town country lawyer,” while in court in order to make the jury sympathize with him, and get in certain arguments he might not be able to present conventionally.
...onduct. If they choose not to do their jobs by the ethical standards, they will either be disbarred or charged criminally. The decisions of the attorneys often influence their clients so it is very important that they figure out how to balance the needs and problems associated with each client to the ethical standards of the criminal justice system itself.
Proper Counseling: A Lawyer is responsible to counsel his client deeply and should tell him the future consequences, so that the client can take right decision.