I begin with a brief overview of the evolution of legal ethics in the United States, both because this is the history I know best, and because I have reason to believe that it is typical of what has occurred in many other countries. The field is relatively recent and has struggled for respect, and most of its leaders appear to have started with a domestic focus before realizing the importance of a global perspective.1 When I graduated from law school four decades ago, this subject was noticeable for its absence. In 1974, in the wake of the Watergate scandal, the American Bar Association (“ABA”) first began requiring accredited law schools to provide all students with “instruction in the duties and responsibilities of the legal profession.”
Deborah L. Rhode