Lawyers in the Dock Learning from Attorney Disciplinary Procedings

• Provides badly needed data and interpretation concerning the current state of legal ethics and disciplinary processes.
• Pays close attention to the sociological and structural causes of systemic moral failure and is conversant with virtually all of the attendant theoretical literature.
• Argues that, even though the ABA wants the federal government to criminalize lay advice in many areas of the law, much advice is currently provided by laypersons but billed by lawyers, who then pocket the surplus value.
• Importance of this book is underscored by the foreword written by Sandra Day O'Connor

For more than a decade, American lawyers have bewailed the ethical crisis in their profession, wringing their hands about its bad image. But their response has been limited to spending money on public relations, mandating education, and endlessly revising ethical rules. In this book, Richard Abel will argue that these measures will do little or nothing to solve the problems illustrated by the six disciplinary case studies featured in this book unless the legal monopoly enjoyed by attorneys in the U.S. is drastically contracted. 

Richard Abel examines some of the most common ethical complaints made about lawyers in Lawyers in the Dock. Using detailed records of disciplinary proceedings, he describes the actions surrounding certain cases based on three of the most common complaints: neglecting the client by failing to pursue cases diligently; overcharging of clients by mystifying billing practices; and betraying adversaries and courts out of excessive loyalty to clients or causes. 

In this book, Richard Abel will argue that these measures will do little or nothing to solve the problems exposed by his six disciplinary case studies unless structural changes are made to the legal monopoly in order to restore the public trust in lawyers. Lawyers in the Dock is essential reading for lawyers, law students, and potential clients who wish to restore trust and professional responsibility in the legal profession.