LAW 5622: Comparative Professional Responsibility - 2231

This course explores and addresses the main issues surrounding the topic of professional legal ethics by comparing ethical and professional standards set forth in the ABA Model Rules with those of select countries in the Americas as well as Europe. The course provides an exploration of the organization and the sources of regulation of the legal profession in the United States, and an overview of select countries in the Americas as well as Europe, briefly highlighting the main differences existing in lawyers' ethical standards in civil law and common law systems. It focuses on the main standards of professional legal ethics in the United States, and compares them with those of Latin American and European countries. The course will be centered on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Responsibility. The Model Rules will be compared with the rules of professional conduct proposed by international associations such as the International Bar Association and the rules proposed by bar associations in the MERCOSUR zone. The course also seeks to engage students in an exploration of the challenges posed by the increase in cross-border, transnational legal practice, and an overview of the ethical regulatory responses attempted so far in this field. New York bar examiners’ approval of Comparative Professional Responsibility is currently pending.