LAW 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Continuing Legal Education, Legal Ethics
Saul Goodman = fictional lawyer, Breaking
Bad
The character is known for his lack of legal
ethics & for “becoming an enabler” for his
clients' criminal acts.
He is a lawyer who understands his
obligations to his client too well and has no
concept of his obligation to the public at
large.
Lawyers must balance their obligations to
their clients with their overriding obligation to
the public.
Their obligation to the public overrides their
obligation to their client.
Ontario Rules of Professional Conduct
The basic tenets of legal ethics are the same in most
democratic places in the world & esp. across Canada.
A lawyer’s general obligations the client:
Competence, confidentiality, and loyalty.
Rule 3.1-1 of the Ontario Rules of
Professional Conduct states competent lawyer
means a lawyer who has and applies relevant
knowledge, skills, & attributes in a manner
appropriate to each matter undertaken on behalf of
a client.
The rule goes on to list the features of competence
required of Ontario lawyers.
The Rules of Professional Conduct
contain commentary, which are interpretive
suggestions written by the Law Society.
According to the commentary to this rule: a
member of the legal profession a lawyer is
held out as knowledgeable, skilled, and
capable in the practice of law.
The client is entitled to assume that the
lawyer has the ability & capacity to deal
adequately with all legal matters to be
undertaken on the client's behalf.
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
The character is known for his lack of legal ethics & for becoming an enabler for his clients" criminal acts. He is a lawyer who understands his obligations to his client too well and has no concept of his obligation to the public at large. Lawyers must balance their obligations to their clients with their overriding obligation to the public. Their obligation to the public overrides their obligation to their client. The basic tenets of legal ethics are the same in most democratic places in the world & esp. across canada. Professional conduct states competent lawyer means a lawyer who has and applies relevant knowledge, skills, & attributes in a manner appropriate to each matter undertaken on behalf of a client. The rule goes on to list the features of competence required of ontario lawyers. The rules of professional conduct contain commentary, which are interpretive suggestions written by the law society.
