This summer marks Rick Angell’s 22nd anniversary with Zupkus & Angell, P.C. Of course, his storied career dates back more than a decade before the formation of Z&A. In a pet project this year, Rick has begun a retrospective on a topic near and dear to his heart: ethics over the past 40 years. We asked him to share a top five list of highlights of this topic in development, which provides food for thought to attorneys both seasoned and new to the profession:
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- It is important to understand that ethical standards do not generate moral behavior.
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- There has been a growing trend of the use of claims of breach of ethics as a litigation tactic, which has influenced the development of ethical practices and the perception of lawyers as ethically constrained actors.
- A change in the legal industry over the last 40 years has resulted in increased tension between ethical aspirations and making an appropriate living.
- The legal culture has developed an increased responsibility for, and reliance upon, non-attorneys in the maintenance of ethical practices. At the same time, there is an increased responsibility for the conduct of attorneys sharing your practice.
- These trends, among others, have contributed to our common sense of ethical malaise compared to the aspirational thinking of 40 years ago. A return of aspirational thinking on ethics, and a change of how we educate young lawyers about ethics, may be the order of the day to save the integrity of the legal industry.
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Thank you to Rick for his insights on ethics, and for his years of service to Z&A. We look forward to the great years yet to come!
