Navigating the Ethics of Legal Writing

Legal writing is an area fraught with ethics concerns. Litigators must concern themselves with enforcement not only by state bar authorities but also by judges - in the form of sanctions and public ridicule. This course will explore five areas within the broader topic of legal ethics and writing in which judges have taken a leading role in enforcing ethical norms.

Taught by ethics attorney Daniel Abrams, this course will benefit all attorneys seeking to become more ethically aware in their legal writing, especially litigators and appellate lawyers.  

Learning Objectives:

1.  Avoid court-awarded sanctions for frivolous legal writing

2.  Comply with the ethical duty to cite adverse authority without going overboard to the detriment of one's client

3.   Navigate the line between zealous advocacy and uncivil or unethical writing

4.  Explore the ethics of ghostwriting

5.  Define plagiarism in the context of writing a legal brief, and the ethical implications thereof