Learning Legal Ethics From the Lincoln Lawyer

In this Two and a Half-Hour(2.5) Prof. Cond. CLE, Philip Bogdanoff discusses the Rules of Professional Conduct while discussing the fascinating series, The Lincoln Lawyer. To do so, we will use film clips to examine the Lincoln Lawyer’s conduct, and determine whether he violated the Rules of Professional Conduct including:

• Rule 1.1, Competence of Counsel,

• Rule 1.2, Allocation of Authority Between a Client and Lawyer,

• Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information, and

• Rule 3.3, Candor Toward the Tribunal.

In season two, the Lincoln Lawyer develops a romantic relationship with the owner of a Mexican restaurant, Lisa Trammel. He learns she is feuding with a developer who is attempting to take her property. The developer files a restraining order against Ms. Trammel and is subsequently murdered. When Ms. Trammel is charged with this Murder, the Lincoln Lawyer springs into action to defend his new client against a confidant prosecutor, Andrea Freeman, who relishes the thought of beating the Lincoln Lawyer at trial. We will examine Haller’s and Freeman’s conduct and determine whether they violated the Rules of Professional Conduct including: Rule 1.8 (j), having a sexual relationship with a client; Rule 3.4 Fairness to Opposing Party and Counsel; Obligation to provide discovery; and Professionalism for Attorneys.