LAW456
Professionalism and Ethics
(Photinopoulos)
Prerequisite courses:
Prerequisite for:
Instructor(s): Athena Photinopoulos
Course credit: 3
Method of presentation: Lecture
METHOD OF EVALUATION:
1. Attendance and Participation – 15%
2. Read and React Assignment(s) (based on course materials and discussions) – 30%
3. Research Paper – 55%
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The main objectives of this course are to explore the: 1) organization of the legal profession in Canada (and, more specifically, Alberta) and 2) professional conduct and ethical obligations of lawyers to the profession and to the public. It will further consider the important concept of wellness in practice.
While this course will address the legal professional generally, it will place some emphasis on the public law (i.e. government) context.
This course will rely upon examination of relevant texts, laws, and the Law Society of Alberta Code of Conduct. Throughout the semester, several practicing lawyers will be invited to discuss ethical issues they have faced in the practice of law, and how they successfully navigated and resolved them.
Students will be required to actively participate in class discussions and activities, and engage with presenters.
SPECIAL COMMENTS:
Description updated 2023-24. Please contact the instructor for any specific questions you may have related to this particular course section.
REQUIRED TEXTS (IF ANY):
1. Law Society of Alberta Code of Professional Conduct (available online)
2. Selected readings and cases
3. Textbook, if any, TBA