California Legal Ethics

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This book is intended for use in California law school courses that teach the fundamentals of legal ethics. The book is to be used in conjunction with the current edition of West's Professional Responsibility Standards, Rules, and Statutes (John S. Dzienkowski, ed.). Either the full or the abridged edition of that book will suffice. Chapter One of this book contains a set of readings on moral philosophy. The object is to help students see, at the outset, the connection between "legal ethics" and plain "ethics" or moral philosophy. The readings include parts of John Stuart Mill's essay on utilitarianism, a discussion of the golden rule, and parts of Immanuel Kant's discussion of the categorical imperative. We have been pleasantly surprised to find that law students generally welcome these readings as a refreshing change from their usual fare. Teachers who prefer to dive directly into the substance of legal ethics can begin with Chapter Two, either omitting Chapter One or assigning it as background reading.