ABSTRACT
Fidelity to the client is an essential virtue if lawyers are to perform their valuable social role. Many of the most significant rules are based upon the duty of fidelity to the client. In fact, these are the rules that that typically form the bulk of the law school course on professional responsibility. Loyalty to the client includes avoiding any conflict that might impair the lawyer’s ability to fully represent a client. The duty of communication also includes the duty to reasonably consult with the client about the means of achieving the client’s objectives. Lawyers for entities owe the same duty of loyalty as to any other client, including the duties to keep confidences, to avoid conflicts of interest, to communicate fully, and to provide independent counsel. Law students and lawyers should have realistic expectations about the money they will make. Such expectations can act as a brake on the drive to meet an artificial target.
