The Ten Most Important Rules of Ethics

• Author: Scott A. Hatch/Lisa Zimmer Hatch
• Profession: Founders of The Center for Legal Studies and developed their award-winning paralegal curriculum in 1980, offering it through 600 colleges nationwide
• Pages: 301-304

CHAPTER 19 The Ten Most Important Rules of Ethics 301

Chapter19

The Ten Most Important

Rules of Ethics

Because ethics are so crucial for the profession, the legal community takes

ethical violations by lawyers and paralegals very seriously. Avoiding the

kind of ethical problems that can cause diculty for you and the lawyers

you work with is important. Luckily, you can avoid most ethical problems by pay-

ing particular attention to some important rules. Here are the ten most important

rules of ethics.

Avoiding the Unauthorized Practice of Law

One of the easiest mistakes to make is also one of the most serious. Although

many ethical violations are the result of a deliberate decision to do something

wrong, the unauthorized practice of law often results when a paralegal tries to do

too much. You may want to help a client so much that you begin performing tasks

that only a licensed attorney may perform.

You aren’t allowed to have your own clients and you must work under the super-

vision of a licensed attorney. As long as you’re properly supervised, you can per-

form numerous tasks on behalf of the client. The things paralegals are allowed to

do vary slightly from state to state, so make sure to keep current on the rules of

the state where you work.

IN THIS CHAPTER

»

Condensing lots of ethics rules into

ten easy-to-digest statements

»

Grasping the ethical do’s and don’ts

to help you start your career