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Originally Posted by troutman
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Law Professor agrees that his lawyers may be acting unethically:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/comme...ethically.html
Is it another example of the complicity of lawyers in the silencing of sexual assault complainants? If yes, is it ethical for lawyers to follow the instructions of a client to accomplish that purpose?
While it is true that lawyers owe a duty of loyalty to their client, lawyers also owe a duty to the profession and the public and to ensure that their conduct does not bring the administration of justice into disrepute.
In Ontario, all lawyers must swear an oath (like the Hippocratic oath doctors swear) before they are eligible to practice law. Part of the oath contains the following commandment: “I shall not refuse causes of complaint reasonably founded, nor shall I promote suits upon frivolous pretenses.” The Rules of Professional Conduct also prohibit a lawyer from “instituting … proceedings which, although legal in themselves, are clearly motivated by malice on the part of the client and are brought solely for the purpose of injuring the other party.”
Rex Murphy with a scathing editorial:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Sho...ID/2590035084/