| dc.description.abstract |
This paper explores and addresses the main issues urrounding the topic of professional legal ethics by comparing ethical and professional standards in the United States to those ofselect countries in western, as well as central and eastern Europe. Differences in lawyers’ ethical standards, where they occur, may be explained by considering that professional-ethical standards are expressions of varying socio-political and legal contexts, and reflect moral and cultural values specific to various countries.The paper provides an overview of the organization and the sources of regulation of the legal profession in the United States and Europe, briefly highlighting the main differencesexisting in lawyers’ ethical standards in civil law and common law systems. It reviews the main standards of professional legal ethics in the United States, and compares them with those of European countries, especially where the approach taken is substantially different (e.g. conflictof interest, advertising, fees, communications, confidentiality). It also examines the lawyerdisciplinary system in the United States, addressing briefly differences with its counterparts inEurope. Finally, this paper provides a description 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. |
