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Moral Commitment and the Ethical Attorney

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Thomas M. Jones  and
Frederick H. Gautschi III
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Abstract

The moral worth of attorneys has traditionally been judged in terms of compliance with legal codes of ethics. These codes, ostensibly designed to promote smooth and equitable functioning of an adversary system, are manifestations of a rule utilitarian moral system. This paper argues that ethical attorneys have a higher calling than rule compliance and that “moral commitment,” which combines commitment to “right” solutions and moral courage, is a superior yardstick for measuring their moral worth.

Type
Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , October 1992 , pp. 391 - 404
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 1992

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