1 Ethics and Professional Responsibility

What Can Hollywood Teach Us About Legal Ethics?

LawCPD Author: Rachel Spencer
Rachel Spencer
Director of Monash Law Clinics Monash University
Rating:
5.0/5
$129
1 CPD Point

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Interactive Content
Self-Paced Completion
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Overview

Legal drama is a popular topic in film and television, but how does the conduct of on-screen lawyers compare with the ethical obligations placed on lawyers in real life?

All films and television shows about lawyers provide the opportunity to analyse whether or not the lawyer characters have acted in an ethically appropriate manner.  In particular, lawyers can assess whether different characters’ behaviour would be ethically appropriate in the lawyer’s own jurisdiction.

This course draws on a number of examples from different films and television shows to illustrate different aspects of ethical and unethical behaviour by lawyer characters.  The course primarily uses the Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules 2015 as the basis for examining whether or not the conduct of the lawyer characters in each of the scenarios is ethical or unethical.

 

Last Reviewed: March 2024

Meet the expert

LawCPD Author: Rachel Spencer
Rachel Spencer
Director of Monash Law Clinics Monash University

Associate Professor Rachel Spencer is the Director of Monash Law Clinics at Clayton and in Melbourne CBD.

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Reviews

  1. 5.0/5
    Great course to remind us of what popular culture gets wrong about most lawyers.
    Linking ethics to movies is a creative way to showcase ethical dilemmas faced daily by lawyers.