Legal Profession & Professional Ethics

Faculty scholarship covers topics such as the special challenges, obligations and commitments of criminal defense attorneys, the ethical practices of tax lawyers in relation to tax avoidance schemes, systematic changes in the legal profession and the organization of law firms, and the use, development and impact of new technologies on the provision of legal services.

In addition to the general Professional Responsibility course, Georgetown Law offers courses in topics such as professional responsibility for tax lawyers, building a law firm, and ethics in public interest practice. Clinics, practicums, and externship companion courses integrate the study of professional responsibilities into experiential learning. Students graduate Georgetown Law with an understanding not only of the law, but also of changes, challenges, and new opportunities in the legal profession.

The Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession conducts rigorous empirical research on trends in law practice and the legal profession. The Center’s projects address topics such as criminal prosecution, government practice, and public interest law, as well as private practice. Through courses, workshops, and symposia, the Center educates students about topics such as the changing law firm business model and technology in legal practice.

Its research initiatives include a study cosponsored by the American Bar Foundation on the factors that shape culture and drive behavior in large law firms. The Center serves practicing lawyers by using its research to inform wide-ranging discussions at events and executive education programs of what it means to be a lawyer in the modern world.

In its four annual issues and featured symposia, The Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics publishes articles on ethical issues and facilitates dialogue among leading legal scholars, attorneys, judges, and social scientists. The Journal is a forum for the discussion and development of the most compelling and pertinent issues currently affecting both bench and bar and invites interdisciplinary scholarship and writing related to the future of the legal profession. In the tradition of its founder, Father Robert Drinan, the Journal maintains a steadfast commitment to community service, which is a requirement for all staff and editors.