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Ethical Conduct In Short-Writing And Analysis

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An attorney’s reputation is built by the care taken in brief writing. The judge generally is influenced by an attorney’s brief than by any other form of argument made; therefore, the brief carries persuasive impact, for good or bad, not only for a current client but all future ones. Linda H. Edwards, Legal Writing and Analysis, 167 (4th ed. 2015). Although the six duties of ethical conduct in brief-writing are equally relevant, I have placed six duties of ethical conduct in the following order, in the order of highest importance to least importance. 1. A brief-writer must not knowingly make a false statement of law. 2. A brief-writer must not knowingly make a false statement of fact. 3. A brief-writer must not intentionally disregard filing requirement or other obligations imposed by court rules. 4. A brief-writer must not knowingly fail to disclose to the court directly adverse legal authority in the controlling …show more content…

A brief-writer must not knowingly make a false statement of law. 2. A brief-writer must not knowingly make a false statement of fact. 3. A brief-writer must not intentionally disregard filing requirement or other obligation imposed by court rules. Ethical conduct and legal accountability go hand in hand with integrity. According to James M. Thomas, founder of the Alliance for Integrity, “The standards of professional integrity, have a second source, those that legal practitioners impose upon themselves. They are the values, convictions, ideas, and ideals that fix how one practices, as distinguished from what one practices.” James M. Thomas, Integrity: The Indispensable Element, 64 (2010). Thomas says that attorneys who uphold integrity share nine crucial traits; furthermore, he admits the price tag for maintaining integrity can be high. Id. He adds that, “Pared to its bed-rock essence integrity is the capacity to stand by right ideas, even when doing so is inconvenient, difficult, or unprofitable; yet, its payoffs and benefits are unmistakable.”

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