My Station as a Lawyer

Abstract

One of the most persistent criticisms of lawyers' professional ethics is that lawyers are permitted or required to act ex officio in ways that they would not consider proper in their personal conduct. This criticism was perhaps best expressed by Professor Richard Wasserstrom almost 15 years ago. It has been echoed and elaborated by others since, notably Professors Postema and Simon. However, this criticism begins with an erroneous premise and leads to erroneous implications. The criticism is wrong, I believe, because it misapprehends legal ethics generally. The topic thus is a formidable one, to which justice cannot be done in a single article. Nevertheless, a start can be made.