Professional Responsibility Issues in Business Practice

This course satisfies the J.D. Professional Responsibility requirement.

Not open to students who have taken another two- or three-credit Professional Responsibility course.

A survey of the laws and ethical rules that govern and regulate lawyers in business practice. Topics include
* the perils of representing corporations (who is the client?);
* the protection of client confidences in a digital age;
* special issues in the area of conflicts of interest - representing corporate families, waivers, lateral movement and the imputation of conflicts and screening;
* the perils of representing wrongdoers - the assertion of liability against law firms for client wrongdoing;
* the meaning of the duty of truth telling for lawyers, generally and in the context of commercial negotiations;
* the meaning of the duty of technological competence, including a look at the implications of generative AI on law practice of the future;
* professional responsibility issues for associates in large firms - the duties of supervising and subordinate lawyers; and the future of regulation of legal services in the US and globally.
We will focus on practical, real world issues that actually confront lawyers and their clients, and will also consider the role of lawyers in some recent business - and law firm - scandals.

This course also satisfies the LL.M. Professional Responsibility requirement for the California bar.