The debate over how removed law and ethics should be from one another is as old as the law itself. Good thing, then, that we don’t need to get bogged down in all that right now. The question for now is, given the role they play in society and the business world, should law firms be ethical bellwethers, or is it right that they stay ethically neutral when considering an instruction?
These and other questions U.K. reporter Hannah Walker put to 30 major law firms this week. And the results highlight a growing focus on ethics, the myriad ethical concerns now facing law firm leaders, and the challenge of denying counsel, a la the Russian state. 25 of the 30 respondent firms said they have consistently turned down clients or matters due to concerns around unethical behaviour.
