Course 2025-2026 a.y.

What Does It Mean to Be a Lawyer and a Member of a Profession?
    Exploring identity, function, and societal expectations of lawyers globally

    Historical and sociological perspectives on professionalization and self-regulation.

Core Ethical Obligations in Cross-cultural Perspective
    Examining confidentiality, loyalty, diligence, and competence owed to clients.

Duties to Courts and Legal Institutions
    Lawyers as officers of the court, truthfulness in advocacy, and maintaining judicial integrity.

Responsibilities to Third Parties and Society
    Ethical limits of advocacy, transparency, and public accountability.

The Lawyer as Advocate in Times of Political Turmoil and Authoritarian Regimes
    Case studies from historic and contemporary authoritarian regimes and how lawyers can resist or reinforce authoritarian practices.

Representing the “Despicable Client”
    Ethical, moral, and reputational dilemmas arising from controversial representations.

Globalization, Technology, and Legal Practice
    Impact of technological innovation, especially artificial intelligence, on concepts of legal expertiseand the ethical obligations and

    lawyer-client relations.

Corporate Lawyers and Global Governance
   Influence of multinational corporations and the ethical challenges of cross-border legal practices.

Lawyers, Corruption, and Human Rights
   Navigating professional integrity amid systemic corruption and human rights abuses.

Access to Justice and Inequality
   Lawyers' roles in promoting or hindering access to justice, particularly in diverse and disadvantaged contexts and with respect to global

   challenges like climate change

Ethical Leadership in and by the Legal Profession
   Cultivating professional responsibility beyond compliance toward active ethical leadership.

• Critically evaluate what it means to be a lawyer and part of a regulated profession, incorporating historical, sociological, and comparative perspectives.

• Analyze lawyers' ethical obligations in balancing duties to clients, courts, third parties, and society at large.

• Understand and articulate the role of lawyers as essential safeguards of justice and bulwarks against government overreach, especially during political and social crises.

• Navigate complex ethical dilemmas arising in globalized legal practices, including the representation of controversial clients and operation within authoritarian contexts.

• Assess how technological innovations, notably artificial intelligence, reshape ethical responsibilities and professional standards in lawyering.

• Develop thoughtful strategies for ethical decision-making and leadership, particularly in international and cross-cultural legal contexts.

• Identify ethical and professional dilemmas arising in cross-border legal practice, articulating reasoned and practical resolutions.

• Evaluate critically lawyers' roles in society, particularly amid political crises, governmental tensions, and controversial client representation.

• Communicate effectively about complex ethical concepts, demonstrating cross-cultural sensitivity, persuasive advocacy, and professional discretion.

• Navigate emerging ethical challenges related to technological innovation and globalization, including issues of confidentiality, loyalty, and conflicts of interest.

• Collaborate constructively in diverse teams, balancing different cultural, ethical, and professional perspectives.

• Apply reflective judgment to reconcile competing professional obligations, demonstrating leadership in ethical decision-making and integrity in professional conduct.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Practical Exercises
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

• Guest lectures from leading international lawyers
• Individual and small-group role-playing exercises based on case scenarios
• Individual and collaborative presentations of research results
• Live in-class debate format discussions

Participation in class discussions and in-class exercises will constitute 20% of the final grade.

The final exam will constitute 80% of the grade. The exam will consist of a combination of one open-answer essay question involving analysis of a hypothetical fact pattern, multiple-choice, and short-answer questions. There will also be a 24-hour take-home exam after the in-class exam, in students will evaluate their own exam answers using artificial intelligence.

Additional details and sample exam questions will be distributed in class.

A full reading list and daily syllabus will be posted in August. 

Reading materials will be posted on Blackboard.