Preface

• Author: Allan C. Hutchinson
• Pages: 17-18

PR EFACE

To write a book on legal ethics and professional responsibility is quite

a challenge — particularly for someone who has not spent a great deal

of time in the hurly-burly of legal practice. I have tr ied to use this d is-

advantage to my advantage. Rather than fall into the familiar t rap of

reproducing prevailing w isdom on the ethics and etiquette of cur rent

practitioners, I have been more ref‌lective and critical. My ambition has

been to unearth t he foundations of present think ing and practice and

subject them to a searching cr itique. Having rea ssessed and reworked

those underlying assumptions, I have sought to suggest a slightly dif-

ferent and more challenging approach to legal eth ics and professional

responsibilit y. Throughout, my emphasis has been on the practical con-

text and real pressures of contemporary lawyer ing, particularly for the

neophyte lawyer. My approach is premised on the v iew that, as a profes-

sion, lawyers are motivated by the desire not only to make a good living

but to act in an ethical man ner and to lead a good professional life. Ac-

cordingly, this book offers itself as b oth a critical guide to present dogma

and doctrine as well as a call to ethical ar ms. The unifying theme — the

development of an ethically sati sfying and professionally resp onsible ap-

proach to legal practice — is, I hope, a sens ible contribution to an im-

portant task that should be appreciated and shared by all lawyers.

One point about the text’s format is in order. I have included f‌ifty

or so problems throughout the book. They are intended to provoke

discussion and focus debate. However, I have resisted t he temptation

to offer my own suggestions about how to resolve them. This reticence

is in keeping with the overall message of the book — ethics is al l about

private decision-maki ng and draws on knowledge, experience, and ser-

ious commitment: there are no easy or set an swers, only hard choices

and constant reassessment.

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