Case Ethics And Personal Ethics
Attorney Ethics
Amberjean M. Gallagher
St. Leo University
January 28, 2016
Author Note
Amberjean Marie Gallagher, Virginia Beach, Virginia
No noted changes in affiliation. There were no grants or other financial support for
my study. No other colleagues assisted in conducting research and development of
this paper. Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Amberjean
Marie
Gallagher, 1616 Quail Point Rd, Virginia Beach, VA, 23454 E mail:
[email protected]
Abstract
Court appointed attorneys constantly face ethical and moral conflicts in their position
of authority The toughest calls could be considered those that challenge professional
ethics and personal ethics. When attorneys accept to the duty to represent a client,
they have an ethical duty to protect confidential information obtained through
attorney client meetings. However, how do attorneys respond when an accused
murderer admits to a crime that has previously been committed and is currently
being investigated? Can an attorney break the attorney client privilege bind or
should they continue to represent a client they know is guilty? Can justice, if at all
possible, be discovered from either ethical dilemma? This paper will not only
answer these questions but it will also discuss the legality of client confidentiality.
The 1973 Buried Bodies case will be used to explain and analyze the legal bind
attorneys must uphold as well as how ethics, both