ethical rules
Throughout this course, many discussion opportunities come up where you need to respond to other people’s opinions and comments. Then respond to your Discussion topic after you have completed your Reading.
For Discussion Board requirements, refer to your course Syllabus or to the Discussion Board Rubric, posted in Doc Sharing.
Imagine that you are a paralegal working in a small law firm of six attorneys. Paul Jones met with your supervising attorney eight months ago about a possible divorce from his wife, Melanie, but after meeting with the attorney, he did not come back. Last month, Melanie made an appointment with the same attorney. No conflict of interest check was made prior to the meeting with Melanie and neither you nor the attorney recalled that Paul Jones was in the office several months earlier.
Last week, you attended a PTA meeting at your son’s school and you ran into Paul. Realizing that your attorney met with both Paul and Melanie, potentially opposing parties in a divorce, you mention to Paul that Melanie came into your office to talk about the divorce.
Think back to previous courses where you considered ethical rules applicable to attorneys and paralegals. You can access the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct by clicking here. Read about ethical issues that can arise as technology advances by clicking here.
For Discussion Board requirements, refer to your course Syllabus or to the Discussion Board Rubric, posted in Doc Sharing.
Imagine that you are a paralegal working in a small law firm of six attorneys. Paul Jones met with your supervising attorney eight months ago about a possible divorce from his wife, Melanie, but after meeting with the attorney, he did not come back. Last month, Melanie made an appointment with the same attorney. No conflict of interest check was made prior to the meeting with Melanie and neither you nor the attorney recalled that Paul Jones was in the office several months earlier.
Last week, you attended a PTA meeting at your son’s school and you ran into Paul. Realizing that your attorney met with both Paul and Melanie, potentially opposing parties in a divorce, you mention to Paul that Melanie came into your office to talk about the divorce.
Think back to previous courses where you considered ethical rules applicable to attorneys and paralegals. You can access the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct by clicking here. Read about ethical issues that can arise as technology advances by clicking here.
PART1 (150 words)
Were any ethical rules violated when your supervising attorney agreed to represent Mrs. Jones? If so, what rule(s) were violated and how? Could the situation have been avoided using technology? If so, how?
PART 2 (150 WORDS)
Were any ethical rules violated when you told Mr. Jones that Mrs. Jones had been in to see your supervising attorney about a divorce? If so, what rules(s) were violated and how? What should you have done instead?
………………Answer preview………………Yes, ethical rules were violated by the supervising attorney for agreeing to represent Mrs. Jones when in fact he was also the same person representing the Husband in the case. The attorney should have noted the conversation and details of the case somewhere……………………….
APA
378 words