Professional Minimalism? The Ethical Consciousness of Commercial Lawyers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11448672 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard Moorhead (UCL Faculty of Laws Bentham House, Endsleigh Gardens London WC1H 0EG England, corresponding author), Victoria Hinchly (Department of Political Science 1284 University of Oregon Eugene OR 97403‐1284 United States of America) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 387-412 |
| Publication date | 2015-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Law and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0263-323X • E-ISSN: 1467-6478 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2015.00716.x |
| OpenAlex | W1606051612 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
This article investigates empirically, through semi‐structured interviews, what shapes the professional ethical consciousness of commercial lawyers. It considers in‐house and private practice lawyers side by side, interrogating the view that in‐house ethics are different and inferior to private practice to suggest as much similarity as difference. In both constituencies, and in very similar ways, professional ethical concepts are challenged by the pragmatic logics of business. We examine how their ethical logics are shaped by these pragmatic logics, suggesting how both groups of practitioners could sometimes be vulnerable to breaching the boundary between tenable zeal for the client and unethical or unlawful conduct. Although they conceive of themselves as ethical, the extent to which practitioners are well equipped, inclined and positively encouraged to work ethically within their own rules is open to question. As a result, we argue professional ethics exert minimal, superficial influence over a more self‐interested, commercially‐driven pragmatism
Business ethics · Consciousness · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Legal Ethics · Minimalism (technical communication · Political science · Pragmatism · Professional ethics · Public relations · Sociology · Engineering · Ethics in Business and Education · Law · Legal Education and Practice Innovations · Medical Malpractice and Liability Issues · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,57 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |