Description
Book SynopsisA story of power and the limits of ethical constraints to ensure such power is properly wielded.
The Lawyer’s Conscience is the first book examining the history of American lawyer ethics, ranging from the mid-eighteenth century to the ‘professionalism’ crisis facing lawyers today.
Trade Review"Michael Ariens has written an exceptionally well-researched and thought-out book on the history of US legal ethics. The Lawyer’s Conscience is a brilliant exposition of the events and concerns that produced the ethical rules by which American lawyers live today. In its depth of research and in its critical judgment, it is unparalleled in the literature about legal ethics. Every lawyer should buy a copy and study it with great care."—M. H. Hoeflich, John H. & John M. Kane Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Kansas School of Law
Table of Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1. Origins, 1760–1830
- 2. Honor and Conscience, 1830–1860
- 3. Clients, Zeal, and Conscience, 1868–1905
- 4. Legal Ethics, Legal Elites, and the Business of Law, 1905–1945
- 5. Prosperity, Professionalism, and Prejudice, 1945–1969
- 6. Beginning and Ending, 1970–1983
- 7. The Professionalism Crisis and Legal Ethics in a Time of Rapid Change, 1983–2015
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Index
