ABSTRACT
The U. S. legal industry has multiple sources of ethical standards. In addition to the Model Rules, there are state ethics codes, state licensing requirements, court decisions, and national and state bar association opinions regarding acceptable ethical practices and attorney conduct. The most widely utilized ethical rules in the United States are the ABA Model Rules. Although the Model Rules themselves are neither binding on individuals nor within jurisdictions, they are intended to serve as a national framework for implementation of professional conduct standards. The Model Rules are numerous and multifaceted. Every law student and new lawyer admitted to practice should become familiar with them in their entirety, as well as with any relevant state modifications. The chapter discusses the representative categories of duties lawyers owe to their clients and others. The International Bar Association was instituted in 1947 to unite the global community of legal practitioners, bar associations, and law societies in shaping international reform.
