Professional Responsibility
Law 115
Fall 2012


This syllabus is provisional only! Changes will be made in the course of the semester.


ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct = MR

Disciplinary Rules of the ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility = MC DR

Hazard, Koniak, Cramton, Cohen & Wendel, The Law and Ethics of Lawyering (5th ed. 2010) = Hazard


I. Preliminary Matters

A.        The Adversary System and the Moral Role of the Lawyer - Spaulding v. Zimmerman
                Hazard 1-13
                Study Questions
B.        Sources of Law
                Hazard 13-19
                MR Preamble and Scope
C.        Admission to the Bar
                Hazard 1038-45
D.        Standards for Discipline
                Hazard 43-44, 1152-63
                MR 8.4 & Comments
                Study Questions
E.         Multijurisdictional Practice & Choice of Law
                Hazard 1131-46
                MR 5.5 & Comments; MR 8.5 & Comments

                Study Questions

II. The Lawyer-Client Relationship: Its Scope, Creation, and Termination
A.        Introduction to the Lawyer-Client Relationship
                Hazard 770-75
B.        Forming the Lawyer-Client Relationship and Obligations to Prospective Clients
                Hazard 853-58
                Study Questions
C.         The Scope of Representation
            1. Paternalism and the Allocation of Authority Between Lawyer & Client
                MR 1.2(a)-(c) & Comments [1]-[8]
                MR 1.4 & Comments
                MR 1.14 & Comments
                MR 1.16(a)(3) & Comments [4]-[6]
                MR 2.1 & Comments
                Hazard 828-45
                Study Question
            2. Compulsory Limits on Scope: Facilitating Crime or Fraud
                MR 1.2(d) & Comments [9]-[13]
                MR 4.1 & Comments
                Hazard 111-18
                Study Questions
D.        Declining and Terminating Representation
            1. Permissive Rejection of Prospective Clients
                MR 6.2 & Comments
                No Study Questions
            2. Permissive and Mandatory Withdrawal
                MR 1.16 & Comments
                Hazard 846-52
                Study Questions

III. The Problem of Organizational Clients
                Hazard 145-51, 254-56
                MR 1.13(a)-(b),(e)-(f) & Comments [1]-[5], [10]-[12]
                Study Questions

IV. Duties of Confidentiality
A.         Duties of Confidentiality in the Law of Evidence
            1. The Attorney-Client Privilege
                Hazard 257-67
                Study Questions
            2. Should There Be a Corporate Attorney-Client Privilege (and If So, What Is Its Scope)?
                Hazard 267-81
                Study Questions
            3. Problems with the Corporate Attorney-Client Privlege
                Hazard 510-27
                Study Questions
            4. The Work-Product Doctrine
                Hazard 281-84
                Study Questions
            5. The Impact of the Client's Privilege Against Self-Incrimination
                Hazard 284-93
                Study Questions
            6. Exceptions: Crime-Fraud
                Hazard 294-305
                Study Questions
            7. Exceptions: Attorney Self-Defense
                Hazard 348
                No Study Questions
            8. Exceptions: Physical Evidence
                Hazard 26-42, MR 3.4(a) & Comments [1]-[2]
               
Study Questions
            9. Exceptions: Waiver
                Hazard 320-31, MR 4.4(b) & Comments [2]-[3]
                Study Questions
B.         Professional Duties of Confidentiality
            1. Scope of the Duty
                Hazard 331-39
                MR 1.6(a), (b)(4), (b)(6), Comments [1]-[5], [9], [12]-[13], [16]-[18]
                MC DR 4-101(A)
                Va. R. Prof. Conduct 1.6(a)
                MR 1.8(b) & Comment [5], 1.9(c) & Comment [8], 1.18(a)-(b) & Comments [1]-[2], MC DR 4-101(B), (C)(1)-(2), (D) 
               
Study Questions
            2. Exceptions: Self-Defense
                MR 1.6(b)(5) & Comments [10]-[11]
                MC DR 4-101(C)(4)
                Hazard 340-48
               
Study Questions
            3. Exceptions: Client Fraud or Crime
                Hazard 348-61
                MR 1.6(b)(2)-(3) & Comments [7]-[8]
                MR 1.13(c)-(d) & Comments [6]-[7]
                MR 4.1 & Comments
                MC DR 4-101(C)(3)
                Va. R. Prof. Conduct 1.6(b)(3), (c)(1)
                Study Questions
            4. Exceptions: Bodily Harm or Death
                MR 1.6(b)(1) & Comments [6], [14]-[15]
                Hazard 361-80
               
Study Questions

V. The Lawyer-Client Relationship: Duties of Loyalty
A.         Concurrent Conflicts of Interest: General Principles
            Hazard 391-99
            MR 1.7 & Comments [1]-[9], [13]-[21]
            Study Questions
B.         Concurrent Representation in Civil Litigation
            Hazard 399-426
            MR 1.7 Comments [22]-[25]
            Study Questions
C.         Hot Potato Doctrine
            Hazard 426-27
            Study Questions
D.         Personal Interest Conflicts
            Hazard 427-29, 811-25
            MR 1.7 Comments [10]-[12], MR 1.8(a)-(c), (e), (j)-(k) & Comments [1]-[8], [10], [17]-[20]
            Study Questions
E.         Concurrent Representation in Criminal Litigation
            Hazard 430-42
F.         Joint Representation in Civil Matters
            Hazard 442-53, MR 1.7 Comments [26]-[33]
            Study Questions
G.        Successive Representation
            Hazard 455-66
            MR 1.9(a)-(b) & Comments [1]-[7], [9], 1.18(c)-(d) & Comments [3]-[8]
            Study Questions
H.        Imputed Conflicts & Transitory Lawyers
            Hazard 467-70, 482-87
            MR 1.10 & Comments, Comment [20] to MR 1.8, Comment [11] to MR 1.7
            Study Questions

VI. The Lawyer-Client Relationship: Duties of Competence and Diligence
A.         Professional Duties of Competence and Diligence
            MR 1.1 & Comments, 1.3 & Comments
            Hazard 859-64
            No Study Questions
B.         Malpractice
            Hazard 864-83, 910-12
            Study Questions
C.         Malpractice Liability to Third Parties
            Hazard 93-105
            Study Questions

VII. Duties to the Court and to Third Parties
A.        Abusive Litigation
           1. Professional Duties
               Hazard 678-83
               MR 3.1 & Comments
               MR 3.2 & Comments
               No Study Questions
B.        Duty of Honesty to the Court
           Hazard 652-57, 668-77
           MR 3.3 & Comments
           MR 8.1 & Comments
           Study Questions
C.        Duty of Honesty to Others
           MR 4.1
           No Study Questions
D.       The No-Contact Rule, Unrepresented Parties
           MR 4.2 & Comments, MR 4.3 & Comments
           Study Questions
E.        Duties to Report Another Lawyer’s Misconduct
           MR 8.3 & Comments
           Hazard 1163-71
           Study Questions

VIII. Big Firm Practice
        Hazard 1114-15
        MR 5.1 & Comments
        MR 5.2 & Comments
        No Study Questions

IX. Fees & Handling Client's Property
        1.5(a)-(d)
        Hazard 786-88
        Hazard 825-28
        MR 1.15(a)-(c) & Comments [1]-[3]
        Study Questions

X. Advertising and Solicitation
        MR 7.1 & Comments
        MR 7.2 & Comments
        MR 7.3 & Comments
        MR 7.5(b)
        MR 1.5(e)
        Study Questions