LEGAL ETHICS

• Primary Authority
• Handbooks, Manuals, Treatises
• Casebooks
• Westlaw
• LEXIS

1. Sources of Primary Authority:

American Bar Association. Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
Chicago, IL: American Bar Association Center For Professional Responsibility, 2007.
LAW RESERVE KF305 .A26 2007

Published annually. Includes the text of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, comments, and appendices which include amendments to the rules and correlation tables between the Model Rules and provisions of the Model Code of Professional Responsibility. For opinions which are issued by the Committee interpreting the Model Rules and the Code of Judicial Conduct, consult Opinions of the Committee on Professional Ethics(1967), Informal Opinions(1967), Informal Ethics Opinions(1975), and Recent Ethics Opinions.

John S. Dzienkowski, ed. Professional Responsibility: Standards, Rules and Statutes.
St.Paul, MN: West Pub. Co. 2008-2009.
LAW RESERVE KF305 .A29 S45 2008-2009.

This pamphlet contains selected sources of the law on professional responsibility. Includes the ABA codes which regulate lawyers' conduct, the federal statutes and rules of evidence and procedure which govern the legal profession, standards for special areas of practice, disciplinary rules, the Code of Judicial Conduct, and selected state standards, rules and statutes.

Thomas D. Morgan and Ronald D. Rotunda, eds. Model Code of Professional Responsibility and Other Selected Standards including California Rules on Professional Responsibility.
Westbury, NY: Foundation Press, 2009.
LAW RESERVE KF305 .A2 2009

Includes the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility with cross-reference tables between the Model Rules and the Model Code. Also includes provisions of the California Rules of Professional Conduct, the New York Code of Professional Responsibility, and the Washington, D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct, as well as selected federal statutes and rules.

Massachusetts Rules of Court. State
St.Paul,MN: West Pub.Co., 2009.
LAW RESERVE KFM2929 .A195 2009
LAW STATE MATERIALS(FL5) KFM2929 .A195 2009

Published annually. Includes the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct and Comments. Also includes the IOLTA guidelines, disciplinary rules for prosecutors and defense lawyers, and the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Massachusetts Attorney Discipline Reports[compiled by Board of Bar Overseers].
Boston, MA: Bateman & Slade.
LAW RESERVE KFM2476 .5 .A2 A497 1974-
LAW READING ROOM(FL5) KFM2476 .5 .A2 A497 1974-

Published in annual volumes. Contains the text of disciplinary decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Bar Association. Opinions of the Ethics Committee of the Massachusetts Bar Association.
Boston, MA: Massachusetts Bar Association, 1973-.
LAW RESERVE KFM2476 .5 .A2 M414 O62 1973-

Updated with cumulative updates. Includes formal opinions of the Ethics Committee, Rules of the Supreme Judicial Court/Ethical Requirements and Rules Concerning the Practice of Law, Rules of the Committee on Professional Ethics, a subject index, and an index to Canons of Ethics and Disciplinary Rules

2. Handbooks, Manuals, Treatises:

ABA/BNA Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct.
Chicago, IL:American Bar Association, 1984-.
LAW RESERVE KF305 .A8 A23 1984-

Looseleaf publication, updated monthly, and biweekly in Current Reports. Provides information on ethical issues typically encountered by lawyers, including fee agreements, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, law firm relationships, legal malpractice, and withdrawal from representation. Also contains full text of ABA ethics opinions and digests of state and local ethics opinions since 1986. [Available on Westlaw in ABA-BNA.]

American Law Institute. Restatement of the Law: the Law Governing Lawyers.

St. Paul, MN: American Law Institute 2000-

LAW RESERVE KF 395 .a243 l391 2000-.

Association of American Law Schools. Workshop on Professional Responsibility[sound recording].
Millersville, MD: Recorded Resources Corp., 1993.
LAW RESERVE AUDIOTAPE KF306 .A5 A33 1993

Recorded live October 14-16, 1993, Washington D.C. Includes nine audiotapes covering the following subjects: adversarial zealousness, the lawyer-client relationship, the lawyer's social obligation, and evaluating law teaching.

James S. Bolan and Kenneth Laurence, eds. Ethical Lawyering in Massachusetts.
Boston, MA: Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, 2000.
LAW RESERVE KFM2476 .5 .A25 E75 1992 (Supp. 2007)

Evaluates ethical issues as they arise in day-to-day practice. Provides an overview of controlling authority with an emphasis on alerting lawyers to precautions they can take to avoid ethical violations. Includes chapters on conflict of interest, the attorney-client relationship, fee agreements, ethical duties to clients, courts, colleagues, and third parties.

John M. Burkoff. Criminal Defense Ethics: Law and Liability

St. Paul, MN: West Group, 2002-.

LAW TREATISES (FL 5) KF306 .B87 2002-

Stephen Gillers and Roy D. Simon, Jr. Regulation of Lawyers: Statutes and Standards.
Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1989-.
LAW RESERVE KF305 .A33 1989-

Provides the text of the rules which govern the regulation of the conduct of lawyers and judges. Includes ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility, ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, the ABA Code of Judicial Conduct, and other controlling authority, such as the attorney-client and work product provisions contained in the Federal Rules of Evidence and Civil Procedure. Also includes a comparison of provisions between the Model Code and the Model Rules and a list of cross-references between the Rules and the ABA Comments on the Rules.

Todd W. Grant. Resources for Research in Legal Ethics.
Buffalo, NY: W.S.Hein, 1992.
LAW REFERENCE KF306 .G73 1992

Describes resources for research in legal ethics, including primary authority(ABA Model Rules and Model Code) and secondary sources(treatises, hornbooks, looseleafs, annotations, bibliographies and law reviews). Outlines research strategies.

Geoffrey C. Hazard and W. William Hodes. The Law of Lawyering.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Law & Business, 2001-.
LAW RESERVE KF306 .H33 2001-

Provides a practical approach to ethical problems arising in a lawyer's work. Discusses the Model Rules of Professional Conduct within the context of the client-lawyer relationship, the lawyer's role as adviser, relationships with third parties, duties to colleagues, public service, advertising, and professional misconduct. Includes text of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, in-depth explanatory material, illustrative cases, and extensive footnotes.

Robert J. Muldoon, Jr. "Safe" Lawyering: Limiting Your Malpractice Exposure.
Boston, MA: MCLE, 1994.
LAW RESERVE KF313 .Z9 S24 1994

This course handbook discusses topics which arise in legal malpractice cases and includes a discussion of procedures to follow to avoid malpractice. Some chapter topics include the elements of a malpractice case, recent developments in legal malpractice in Massachusetts, RICO and consumer protection statutes, evidentiary and privilege issues, and attorney discipline.

Ronald D. Rotunda. Legal Ethics in a Nutshell.

St. Paul, MN: Thomson/West 2007.

LAW RESERVE kf306 .z9 r688 2007.

Gilda M. Tuoni. Massachusetts Attorney Conduct Manual.
Salem, NH: Butterworth Legal Publishers, 1992-.
LAW RESERVE KFM2476 .5 .A2 T86 1992-

This two-volume looseleaf is intended as a guide for Massachusetts lawyers. Its primary focus is on the Canons of Ethics and Disciplinary Rules Regulating the Practice of Law(the Canons of Rule 3.07), with references to their interpretation by the Supreme Judicial Court and the Board of Bar Overseers. Comparisons between the Disciplinary Rules and the Model Rules of Professional Responsibility are provided throughout. Table of Cases and Authorities and a subject index are included. [Note: Not revised with new rules adopted June 1997, effective January 1998]

W. Bradley Wendel. Professional Responsibility: Examples and Explanations 2004

New York: Aspen 2007

LAW RESERVE KF306 .W46 2007.

3. Casebooks:

Stephen Gillers. Regulation of Lawyers: Problems of Law and Ethics.
Aspen, 2005
LAW RESERVE KF306 .A4 G55 2005

Arranged in five parts: client-lawyer relationship, conflicts of interest, special roles of the lawyer, professional malpractice, and first amendment rights of lawyers. Includes Tables of Cases, Code and Rule provisions.

Geoffrey C. Hazard. The Law and Ethics of Lawyering.
Westbury, NY: Foundation Press, 2005.
LAW RESERVE KF306 .A4 H39 2005
LAW TREATISES(FL 5) KF306 .A4 H39 2005

Covers topics in legal ethics, including aspects of the lawyer-client relationship and standards of conduct for lawyers and judges. Chapters begin with problems for discussion and include textual summaries of ethical issues and multiple choice questions. Includes Table of Cases and listing of references to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Code of Professional Responsibility.

Geoffrey C. Hazard and Deborah L. Rhode. The Legal Profession: Responsibility and Regulation.
Westbury, NY: Foundation Press, 1994.
LAW RESERVE KF306 .A4 L44 1994

Part I includes articles on the historical, social, economic, and philosophical perspectives of professional ethics. Part II examines the professional roles of the lawyer in the civil and criminal contexts. Part III discusses matters related to the delivery of legal services, including the solicitation, advertising, and distribution of legal services. Part IV provides readings on legal education, bar admission, and lawyer discipline.

Mortimer D. Schwartz. Problems in Legal Ethics.
St. Paul, MN: West Pub. Co., 2007.
LAW RESERVE KF306 .A4 S38 2007

Written for students of legal ethics. Contains fourteen chapters, including chapters on the sources and application of the rules of legal ethics, the lawyer-client relationship, advertising and solicitation of legal services, as well as other aspects of professional ethics. Each chapter begins with assigned, supplemental readings, and discussion problems. Includes multiple choice questions and an appendix of answers.

Deborah L. Rhode. Professional Responsibility: Ethics by the Pervasive Method.
Aspen, 2nd ed. 1998.
LAW TREATISES (FL5) KF306 .R47 1998

Provides coverage of the basic issues in legal ethics, as well as materials for integrating issues into the core curriculum of law school. Part I addresses the basic concepts of legal ethics, such as the advocate's role, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and related ethical issues. Part II provides similar material for integrating legal ethics into the core courses offered in law school. Endnotes are included within each chapter.

4. WESTLAW:

WESTLAW has several databases of material on legal ethics and professional responsibility. To locate these, select Topical Materials by Area of Practice from the Main Directory and then select Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

In addition to federal case law, statutes and regulations, state case law and ethics opinions, WESTLAW has several ABA databases. These include the ABA Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct (ABA-MRPC), ABA Ethics Opinions(ABA-ETHOP), and the ABA/BNA Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct(ABA-BNA).

5. LEXIS:

LEXIS has material on legal ethics, including ethics opinions, caselaw and codes of professional conduct. Select Area of Law by Topic: Ethics; Within this topical area, select Ethics Opinions or ABA Materials.

If you have comments, questions or suggestions, please e-mail:
Ellen Delaney, Reference Librarian
Last updated: May 15, 2009.