Tag Archives: confidentiality
Unethical Website of the Month: The Ethical Psychic Project
There appears to be nothing whatsoever ethical about the The Ethical Psychic Project, except that a bunch of people who decided they couldn’t make enough money selling phony deeds to imaginary uranium mines thought that the word “ethical” might suck in some marks. Continue reading
Filed under Business & Commercial, Unethical Websites
“Dear Legal Ethicist: I’m a Lawyer, and I Think My Real Estate Client Might Be Jack the Ripper. What Should I Do?”
A client is a client, even if he is a serial killer. Thus sayeth the legal ethics rules. Continue reading
Filed under Law & Law Enforcement
The Damage Incompetent Pundits Do: Criminal Defense Misconceptions
Myths that won’t die: guilty defendants can’t testify that they are innocent (they can) and lawyers can’t defend criminals they know are guilty (they must.) Continue reading
The Intern, The Lawyer and The Recycling Bin: A Cautionary Tale
A cautionary tale, with a lesson for attorneys: When client confidences are involved, don’t go on autopilot! Continue reading
Filed under Journalism & Media, Law & Law Enforcement, Professions, Workplace
Ethics Dunce: Criminal Defense Lawyer Gerard Marrone
Gerard Marrone, one of the two lawyers defending a man accused of kidnapping, murdering and dismembering a young boy, has withdrawn from the representation. There is, in theory, nothing wrong with that. A lawyer can withdraw from any representation for good cause, as long as the withdrawal doesn’t harm the defendant. Marone’s withdrawal, however, was done in such a way that it almost certainly harms the defendant, because the lawyer told the press why he was withdrawing. Continue reading
Justice? Michigan Prosecutors Say Davontae Sanford Can’t Get There From Here
Prosecutors are supposed to know that their job and their ethical duty is to see that just results are reached by the criminal justice system, and not to argue that you can’t get there from here. Unfortunately for Davontae Sanford, some Michigan prosecutors don’t see it that way. Continue reading
Filed under Law & Law Enforcement, Professions
Unethical Quote of the Week: Actress Reese Witherspoon
Actress Reese Witherspoon’s stock in trade has been playing spunky, nice girls. It seems she’s a better actress than we ever realized. Continue reading
Ethics Hero Emeritus: Dorothy Young, Houdini’s Assistant
Dorothy Young kept Harry Houdini’s secrets for 85 years. Continue reading
Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Ethics Heroes, Professions
Natalie Portman Ethics, Part II: The Body Double
Natalie Portman’s dancing body double flags an ethical violation by the actress, but not the one everyone’s talking about. Continue reading
Ethics Dunce: Mercedes Colwin
Fox legal analyst Mercedes Colwin just spectacularly and irresponsibly misinformed Sean Hannity’s radio audience, and added to the widespread and incorrect belief that it is somehow unethical for an attorney to represent a client the attorney knows is guilty. (It is not.) Compounding her reckless mistake, she noted that she had been “a judge,” thus giving apparent credibility to her utterly erroneous characterization of how criminal defense works. This was also misleading: Colwin was an administrative law judge, which has nothing whatsoever to do with criminal justice. Continue reading →
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Filed under Arts & Entertainment, Comment of the Day, Ethics Dunces, Gender and Sex, Journalism & Media, Law & Law Enforcement, Popular Culture, Professions, U.S. Society
Tagged as "not guilty", Casey Anthony trial, confidentiality, criminal defense, defending guilty clients, duty of candor to the court, Fox news, ignorance, legal ethics, Mercedes Colwin, misinfomation, misinformation, officer of the court, pundit malpractice, recklessness, Sean Hannity, the right to legal representation