Course Description
This course attempts to mesh the realities of criminal trial practice with the formal constraints of professional ethics, the Sixth Amendment, and the prohibitions of criminal obstruction of justice statutes. Topics which may be discussed include problems relating to: prosecutorial subpoenas of defense counsel, law office searches, federal attorney’s fee forfeiture and reporting statutes, confidentiality of client information, representation of guilty clients, obligations relating to physical evidence, proper and improper argument, the relationship between malpractice, ineffective assistance of counsel, and ethical obligations, simultaneous and successive conflicts of interest, representation of incompetent clients, ethical constraints on plea bargaining, contacts with judges, jurors and witnesses, trial publicity, obligation to accept appointments, restrictions on withdrawal, and fee constraints in criminal cases.