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Summary Legal Ethics.ResearchPaper.docx GOVT 325 The Mandate of Above Reproach: The Obligation of Professionalism Helms School of Government, Liberty University GOVT 325-B02 Legal Ethics The Mandate of Above Reproach: The Obligation of Professionalism Intro $7.49   Add to cart

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Summary Legal Ethics.ResearchPaper.docx GOVT 325 The Mandate of Above Reproach: The Obligation of Professionalism Helms School of Government, Liberty University GOVT 325-B02 Legal Ethics The Mandate of Above Reproach: The Obligation of Professionalism Intro

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Legal Ethics.ResearchP GOVT 325 The Mandate of Above Reproach: The Obligation of Professionalism Helms School of Government, Liberty University GOVT 325-B02 Legal Ethics The Mandate of Above Reproach: The Obligation of Professionalism Introduction The concept of being above reproach is simpl...

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GOVT 325

The Mandate of Above Reproach: The Obligation of Professionalism


Helms School of Government, Liberty University

GOVT 325-B02 Legal Ethics


The Mandate of Above Reproach: The Obligation of Professionalism



Introduction

The concept of being above reproach is simple. Kevin DeYoung, author of the article,

What Does It Mean for an Overseer to Be "Above Reproach" and "Well Thought of By

Outsiders"?, says it best: “In short, the idea behind ‘above reproach’ … is largely the same: the

elder-pastor-overseer must live a life of Christlike character and virtue that is not easily refuted

by those who know him best” (DeYoung, 2016, para. 9). In other words, the idea of being above

reproach is that one lives the way Christ has, and one works constantly toward the betterment of

others in all that they do. When introduced in a professional legal aspect, it would seem being

above reproach would be easy. But it is not to some.

Being professional is a part of a lawyer’s legal duty to themselves, clients, and all who

they encounter throughout their careers. Shauna Bryce, author of the article, Ask the Hiring

Attorney: What does it mean to ‘be professional’?, states that professionalism “doesn’t have to

be – and shouldn’t be – phony. Professionalism should be part of who you are (Bryce, 2018,

para. 11). When the mandate of being above reproach is thrown in there, it should come easily to

lawyers. Professionalism is not just good for the lawyer, but it is good for the client. It helps

build up the attorney-client bond that should always be strong. The Louisiana State Bar explains

that “Professionalism concerns the knowledge and skill of the law faithfully employed in the

service of client and public good, and entails what is more broadly expected of attorneys”

, (Louisiana State Bar, para. 2). Without a professional aspect, a lawyer would not have a model to

follow. Professionalism guides all to be of a higher quality than those who do not act

professional. As for the clients, Charles E. McCallum, author of Professionalism in the practice

of law, says it best: “The best lawyers are compulsive about client service. They can’t help

themselves” (McCallum, 2009, para. 6). Lawyers should always be about the best interest for

their clients. Good lawyers strive to be professional and do the best that they can to help their

client win. Alas, many fall short of this glory.

The problem is that no one is perfect, to put it plainly. It is best to remember that

professionalism does not equal perfection. Lawyers, like any other human being, can be greedy,

selfish, and self-serving. For example, The California State Bar explains in their Attorney

Civility and Professionalism rules that “An attorney should not compromise the guidelines of

civility and professionalism to achieve an advantage” (California State Bar, pg. 20). The reason

for this is eliminate the chances of a lawyer taking advantage of their client, or to stop a lawyer

from breaking the law. In other words, a lawyer should not be selfish. Rather, they should be

selfless in regard to their clients.

As Seiler, Anderson, Fife, and Marshall explain in their blog on The Importance of

Lawyer Client Relationships, “While the technical ability of the lawyer is of utmost importance,

developing a healthy relationship with them is equally key” (Seiler, Anderson, Fife, and

Marshall, para. 1). A healthy relationship with a client, or vice versa, is incredibly important to

build trust. Without trust, there could not be a sturdy ground for an attorney-client relationship to

form. US Legal explains in their Establishing The Attorney-Client Relationship article that “In

any event, once the requisite attorney-client relationship is established, the attorney owes to the

client the duty to render legal service and counsel or advice with that degree of skill, care, and

diligence as possessed by or expected of a reasonably competent attorney under the same or

similar circumstances. The ‘circumstances’ may include the area of law in which the attorney

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