| After reading the scenes presented here and the arguments pro and con
regarding each lawyer's decision, it should be clear that there are no
clear answers in these areas. There are overarching issues of fairness,
justice, and equality which must be confronted if one simply goes by the
rules, be they legal or ethical. On the other hand, sometimes broad
ideals clash with the interests of clients. And other times, nothing
seems to provide any real guidance.
This exercise is not intended to just be a "slick lawyer trick" or to show how a lawyer can argue either side of anything. It was intended to show what sort of dilemmas lawyers deal with every day and how they might be dealt with. It was also intended to show that there are very rarely easy answers in morality. If there were, what would be the point of examining them? The final answers, it appears, do not lie in cases, between the lines of a legal code, or in following ethical guidelines. They lie inside each one of us. If you have any comments about this site, the arguments made, or the conclusions reached, please contact me. |
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Return to the beginning of Practical Moral Philosophy for Lawyers |
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Scene 1: The Humiliation of a Witness Scene 2: Loyalty to the Client Scene 3: Using Prosecutorial Power Scene 4: Client's Wishes or Attorney's Goal? Scene 5: Hiding Behind Technicalities |