Exam 8: Law and Legal Professionals

Lawyers who perceive themselves as moral agents may refuse to pursue a client's wish to pursue a particular legal tactic if they didn't believe in it.

One of the most difficult things for anyone to do is admit they were wrong. The stakes are especially high for prosecutors, who risk wrongfully imprisoning or even seeking the death penalty for innocent people. You are a prosecutor with a busy caseload, and it has come to your attention that a police department, which you work closely with has recently been involved in a bribery and coercion scandal involving a local gang. Witnesses, without your knowledge, were paid to testify, and sometimes physically threatened to stay silent. A handful of cases you prosecuted have been overturned already, but you know of dozens more. Some of the convicted might be innocent; some are definitely guilty. You are not in a state that has a provision for Model Rules explicit to prosecutors. What do you feel is your ethical and moral responsibility to this situation? Explain in detail.

Which paradigm of law highlights the inequity of a capitalist system?

A sense that all defendants are _____________ leads to cynicism even on the part of public defenders.

Since the 1800s, the number of lawyers in Congress has steadily grown.