Professional Legal Ethics Unpacked!

What do we mean by professional legal ethics and how do ethics infiltrate every part of legal practice? This episode tackles these problems with a panel and unpacks the professional ethics rules which regulate lawyers.

Show Notes

Our guests this week are Mary Westcott, an extradition Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, Rosemary Rollason a Solicitor who specialises in regulatory law (including the regulation of barristers and solicitors) and Lisa McClory an independent consultant who set up Fractal Knowledge advising businesses on ethics.   

This panel discussion considers what we mean by legal ethics and why it is important for lawyers in practice.  Our guests discuss ethics in the general sense, and whether lawyers have a duty to be ‘ethical’? The specific rules which govern the behaviour of barristers and solicitors are considered and illuminated with specific examples from practice. Amongst other things our panel consider the purpose of legal ethics?  Is it to regulate and restrict the behaviour or lawyers or should the regulation of lawyers be more aspirational to seek to achieve something in society? 

We always encourage listeners to undertake practical actions after listening to the episode...
 
Take a look at the Bar Standards Ethics Hub and see some of the common dilemmas that arise in practice:
 https://www.barcouncilethics.co.uk/subject/ethics/       
Take a look at the Solicitor Regulation Authority Principles:
https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/principles/       
Take a look at the Bar Standards Board Core Duties:
https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/for-barristers/compliance-with-your-obligations/the-core-duties.html   

Useful resources         
Law Students for Climate Accountability: https://www.ls4ca.org/       
The Law Gazette https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news       
The Bar Standards Board website has useful resources about how Barristers are regulated: https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/       
The Solicitors Regulatory Authority has useful resources about how Solicitors are regulated: https://www.sra.org.uk/       
The Law Society Guidance on refusing to provide a service: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/contact-or-visit-us/helplines/practice-advice-service/q-and-as/refusing-to-provide-a-service   

 

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