Professional Responsibility in Global Business

This course explores the issues of legal ethics and professional responsibility that arise in U.S. and international legal practice, and the rules and principles that govern and inform our conduct. While our emphasis will be on the application of ethical rules and principles to transactional practice, we will also touch on the issues that arise in the litigation context, in internal investigations and in government practice. The special challenges of multijurisdictional and international practice will also be addressed, as well as the role of the transactional lawyer as negotiator and as “gatekeeper.” Finally, we will address the emerging issues surrounding the use of electronic communications, social media, blogs and websites.

Among the topics to be discussed are:

• Sources of ethical principles
• The business of lawyering
• Conflicts and confidentiality
• Representation of organizations
• The lawyer as “gatekeeper”
• The lawyer as negotiator
• International and multijurisdictional practice
• Social media and electronic communications
• Issues for in-house counsel