Ethics

Welcome to the Santa Clara University Law Review Ethics Site

Professional Responsibility is the one area of law that affects every lawyer, regardless of practice.  The need for easy access to information is great.  This website will provide a valuable tool for attorneys, especially those practicing in California, by keeping practitioners up to date on the most recent decisions affecting them.  The Santa Clara University Law Review has several programs in place directly geared toward the issues of legal ethics and professional responsibility.

Ethics Year in Review

Decisions on professional responsibility come from a dizzying array of sources.  Each year, the ethics editors of the Santa Clara University Law Review undertake a comprehensive review of those decisions, not only to keep practitioners up to date, but also to explore the implications the decisions have on the practice of law.  We review the activity of the California State Bar, the California Supreme Court (as well as other state courts), and the American Bar Association.  In addition, this year we will be paying close attention to the ABA’s Ethics 2000 and its initiative to revise the Model Code of Professional Responsibility.

Although our focus is primarily on California, practitioners in all areas will benefit from this review as it takes into account national and international trends in the area of professional responsibility.

The Year in Review appears in the fourth issue of issue of each volume (typically in the Spring/Summer).  For subscription information please see

http://www.scu.edu/law/lawreview/subscriptions.cfm

Publications Database

With the help of the School of Law, local practitioners and community members we are building both a physical and electronic database of materials related to legal ethics and professional responsibility.  Although our resource library is currently under construction we have links to some of the best ethics sites on the web.

For more information on our physical library, or to make an appointment to visit, please contact the law review’s ethics editor at (408) 554-4074.

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Santa Clara University is home to a specialized center that focuses on ethical theory and offers practical methods for the application of ethical principles in the real world.  Founded in 1986, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics uses the perspectives of different disciplines to help decision-makers develop practical strategies for resolving the ethical questions confronting them.

The Center sponsors frequent discussion sessions on a variety of topics.  For more information about these discussions or for more about the Center’s work visit its website at http://www.scu.edu/SCU/Centers/Ethics.

State Bar of California Committee on Professional Responsibility: