Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility Research Guide
by Nancee Halling, Branch Librarian, St. Paul
Introduction | Model Codes | Ethics Opinions & Cases | Associations | Treatises |
Law Reviews | Blogs & News | Related Resources
The conduct of judges and lawyers is governed by state and federal professional responsibility rules. These rules, based upon model rules drafted by the American Bar Association, have been adopted in every jurisdiction. In addition, each jurisdiction has a disciplinary mechanism for enforcing these rules. Researching issues of legal ethics, requires that you go beyond the familiar statutes and case law to federal and state codes of professional conduct and ethics opinions issued by national and state and associations
Federal codes have been adopted by the Judicial Conference governing the conduct of federal judges and employees. Questions regarding the application and interpretation of the federal judicial codes should be directed to the Committee on Codes of Conduct, General Counsel, Administrative Office.
Model Codes, ABA Standards & other ethics codes
ABA/BNA Lawyer’s Manual on Professional Conduct. KF305 .A16; ABA Code of Professional Responsibility & Code of Judicial Conduct. Located in Fargo, Kansas City, Lincoln, Little Rock, Omaha, St. Louis and St. Paul. Online at Lexis: MPCMAN.
Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct 5th, ABA; KF305 .A2 2003; Located in Des Moines, Fargo, Kansas City, Little Rock, St. Louis, and St. Paul. Online at Westlaw: ABA-AMRPC.
Compendium of Professional Responsibility Rules and Standards, ABA. KF305 .A2 2004; Located in Des Moines, Fargo, Kansas City, St. Louis and St. Paul.
Model Codes - Judiciary
Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees; KF8770 .J83 2001; Located in Fargo, Kansas City, Lincoln, Little Rock, Minneapolis, St. Louis and St. Paul. Applies to all employees of the Judicial Branch except Justices; judges; and employees of the US Supreme Court, AO, FJC, USSC and FPD offices. Contractors and other non-employees who serve the Judiciary are not covered by this code.
Code of Conduct for United States Judges; 175 Federal Rules Decisions 373. Governs the conduct of United States Circuit, District Court of International Trade, Court of Federal Claims, Bankruptcy and Magistrate Judges. Certain provisions apply to special masters and commissioners.
Model Code of Judicial Conduct, by ABA; KF8779 .Z9 M62; Located in Des Moines, Fargo, St. Louis, and St. Paul. Online at Lexis: CODES; Westlaw: ABA-CJC.
State Codes of Professional Responsibility
Arkansas Iowa Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota
State Codes of Judicial Conduct
Arkansas Iowa Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota
State Ethics Cases:
Westlaw: METH-CS (Multi-state search)
Lexis: Arkansas Iowa Minnesota Missouri Nebraska No Dakota So Dakota
State ethics opinions:
State: Arkansas Iowa Minnesota Missouri Nebraska No Dakota So Dakota
ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct; KF305 .A6. ABA formal and informal opinions from the American Bar Association plus synopses of opinions from state and local bar associations. Located in Fargo, Kansas City, Lincoln, Little Rock, Omaha, St. Louis, and St. Paul. Online at Lexis: ETHICS.
National Reporter on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Selected state bar formal and informal opinions on legal ethics and professional responsibility (North Dakota not included). Online at Lexis: ETHOP (all states).
Associations and Related Offices
ABA Center for Professional Responsibility. ABA model rules and codes and special reports, links to judicial and attorney state ethics and disciplinary agency sites, multi-jurisdictional practice and international treaty information.
American Judicature Society (AJS). Maintains lists of state investigative and judicial conduct organizations, information about federal judicial conduct complaint process. Publisher of Judicial Conduct Reporter.
American College of Trial Lawyers. 2004 Codes of Trial & Pretrial Conduct (PDF).
National Organization of Bar Counsel . Easy to navigate site with links to attorney conduct rules, bar associations, disciplinary agencies and ethics opinions by state.
State Bar Associations
Arkansas Iowa Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota
American Jurisprudence 2d, (AM JUR), in Vol. 7, “Attorneys at Law.” KF 154 .A43; Located in Des Moines, Fargo, Kansas City, Lincoln, Little Rock, Minneapolis, Omaha and St. Louis. Online at Westlaw: AMJUR: Lexis: AMJUR.
Corpus Juris Secundum (CJS), in Vol. 7-7A, “Attorney & Client.” KF 154 .C67; Located in Des Moines, Fargo, Kansas City, Lincoln, Little Rock, Minneapolis, Omaha and St. Louis. Online at Westlaw: CJS.
Criminal Defense Ethics : Law & Liability, by American College of Trial Lawyers. Online at Westlaw: DEFETHICS.
Ethical Litigation, by Stuart, Gary L. Online at Lexis: ETHLIT.
Ethical Standards in the Public Sector: A Guide for Government Lawyers, Clients, and Public Officials. ABA Section of State and Local Government Lawyers. KF299 .G6 E87 1999. Located in St. Louis.
Federal Law of Attorney Conduct, by McMorrow, Judith. KF 8820 .A313 M637 2001. Located in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Kansas City, Lincoln, Minneapolis, Omaha, St. Louis and St. Paul.
Freivogel on Conflicts . E-guide to conflicts of interests for lawyers. Updated daily, it has commentary and cited references on a variety of topics.
Judicial Conduct and Ethics, by Jeffrey Shaman. KF 8779 .S52 2000. Located in all libraries.
Key Issues in Judicial Ethics. Series of pamphlets on various topics by Gray, Cynthia. KF 8779 .G734; Located in St. Paul.
Law of Lawyering: a Handbook on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, 3d, by Hazard, Geoffrey. KF306 .H332, Located in Des Moines, Fargo, Kansas City, and Minneapolis.
Legal Ethics: the Lawyer’s Deskbook on Professional Responsibility, by Rotunda, Ronald. Online at Westlaw: LEGETH.
Professional Responsibility In Criminal Defense Practice, by Hall, John Wesley.
KF 306 .H27 2005. Located in Kansas City, Little Rock, St. Louis and St. Paul.
Prosecutorial Misconduct, by Gershman, Bennett. KF 9640 G462. Located in Des Moines, Kansas City, Lincoln and St. Louis. Online at West: PROSMIS.
Restatement of the Law Governing Lawyers, 3rd, by American Law Institute. KF 395 .A2 L38; located in all libraries. Online at Westlaw: REST-LGOVL; Lexis: LAWGV2 (Rules), LAWGV3 (Cases).
Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics
Lexis: CPLPEJ (2004-); Westlaw: CDZPLPEJ (2003-)
Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics
Westlaw: GEOJLE (1983-); Lexis: GJNLE (1998-)
Journal of the Institute for the Study of Legal Ethics, Hofstra School of Law Westlaw: JISLE (1996-); Lexis: JISLE (1996-)
Journal of the Legal Profession, University of Alabama School of Law
Westlaw: JLEGPRO (1991-); Lexis: JLPROF (1995-)
Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy
Westlaw: NTDJLEPP (1994-); Lexis: NDJLEP (1996-); Hein (1984-)
Professional Lawyer, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility
Westlaw: PROFLAW (1994); Lexis: PROFLW (1999/2000-)
Legal Ethics Blog . Current postings about significant new developments with links to research materials. Site maintained by attorney Ben Cowgill.
Legal Ethics Forum . Devoted to discussion of ethics and professional responsibility issues and is maintained by law professors.
Legal Ethics Listserv. Group open to attorneys, law professors and law students for discussion of legal ethics issues. Maintained by Washburn University School of Law.
Current Reports. ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct. Bi-weekly newsletter of current developments. Online at Lexis: BNAMPC.
Ethics and Lawyering Today. Monthly online e-newsletter concerning current developments in the law, rules of ethics and other regulations. Authored by attorneys William Freivogel and Lucian Pera.
American Legal Ethics Library, Cornell (LII). Links to ABA and state professional rules, ethics opinions and judicial conduct rules searchable by jurisdiction or topic.
Center for Study in Ethics in the Professions, Illinois Institute of Technology. 850 codes of ethics from professional societies, corporations, government agencies and academic institutions. Organized by professional category with links to the authoring association.
Legalethics.com. Maintained by Professor Hricik from Mercer Law School. Links to ethics articles, states’ ethics materials, opinions and advertising and confidentiality rules.
State Ethics Resource Guide , from Georgetown Law School. Link to each states’ ethics research resources.
United States Office of Government Ethics. Executive Department laws, rules, regulations, opinions, forms, publications, issues and other links. Advisory letters & memoranda available at Lexis: OGE.
Ethics Manual: For Members of the Board of Immigration Appeals, Immigration Judges, and Administrative Law Judges Employed by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, by United States Department of Justice, Executive Office for Administrative Review. KF 5107 .A68 2001; Located in St. Louis.
Created November 2005