ABSTRACT
The US legal profession presents itself as self-regulating. In the most recent version of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules), the American Bar Association (ABA) proudly states: ‘Although other professions also have been granted powers of self-government, the legal profession is unique in this respect.’1
Judges routinely refer to self-regulation of the Bar,2 academics rely on it3 and lawyers accept it as a given.4
