Legal Ethics from the Lens of a Student Attorney; American Bar Association (ABA), April 21, 2026

Marc J Hawk, III, American Bar Association (ABA); Legal Ethics from the Lens of a Student Attorney

"I’m a second-year law student and a student attorney in my school’s general practice clinic. As a first-generation law student, I entered this space with limited exposure to the legal profession. Law school, however, has a way of bringing ethics to life in real time.

Through clinical work, you experience what I describe as a clinical lawyering enlightenment. Suddenly, everything you’ve spent hundreds of hours learning is no longer theoretical; you’re applying it to real people, real problems, and real consequences. And you have to get it right.

This doesn’t come without mistakes. My professional responsibility professor always gives rules for the courses she teaches. I'll follow her lead and give my three rules in case you haven’t been exposed to legal ethics:

1. Be a Decent Human Being. This is your foundation. Remember it, along with the golden rule.
2. Learn the Rules of Professional Responsibility and Understand Character and Fitness. Lean into disclosure, candor, and financial responsibility. Yes, even paying credit card bills on time matters.
3. When in Doubt, Slow Down. Then, as always, think before you act."

Emerging Issues in the Use of Generative AI: Ethics, Sanctions, and Beyond; The Federalist Society, June 3, 2025 12 PM EDT

The Federalist Society; Emerging Issues in the Use of Generative AI: Ethics, Sanctions, and Beyond

"The idea of Artificial Intelligence has long presented potential challenges in the legal realm, and as AI tools become more broadly available and widely used, those potential hurdles are becoming ever more salient for lawyers in their day-to-day operations. Questions abound, from what potential risks of bias and error may exist in using an AI tool, to the challenges related to professional responsibility as traditionally understood, to the risks large language learning models pose to client confidentiality. Some contend that AI is a must-use, as it opens the door to faster, more efficient legal research that could equip lawyers to serve their clients more effectively. Others reject the use of AI, arguing that the risks of use and the work required to check the output it gives exceed its potential benefit.

Join us for a FedSoc Forum exploring the ethical and legal implications of artificial intelligence in the practice of law.

Featuring: 

• Laurin H. Mills, Member, Werther & Mills, LLC
• Philip A. Sechler, Senior Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom
• Prof. Eugene Volokh, Gary T. Schwartz Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus, UCLA School of Law; Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
• (Moderator) Hon. Brantley Starr, District Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas"

Lawyers weigh strength of copyright suit filed against BigLaw firm; Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly, January 29, 2024

 Pat Murphy , Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly; Lawyers weigh strength of copyright suit filed against BigLaw firm

"Jerry Cohen, a Boston attorney who teaches IP law at Roger Williams University School of Law, called the suit “not so much a copyright case as it is a matter of professional responsibility and respect.”"

How to avoid 10 common ethics pitfalls; ABA Journal, June 1, 2020

DAVID L. HUDSON JR., ABA Journal; How to avoid 10 common ethics pitfalls

"Lawyers are stewards of their clients’ most sensitive and personal information. They serve as officers of the court and are in positions of public trust. But these high standards can lead to steep falls, and a lawyer who doesn’t carefully mind ethics obligations can quickly run afoul of the rules of professional responsi-bility. 

Most states require ethics training as part of continuing legal education requirements. But a quick scan of disciplinary records reveals lawyers behaving badly on a spectrum of issues—from improper advertising to mishandling private information and everything in between.

Whether intentionally flouting ethics rules or unwittingly succumbing to the many pitfalls that can appear, lawyers regularly face discipline for crossing the line. Being hauled in front of a disciplinary board can cause professional embarrassment, suspension of a law license and even disbarment. 

We asked legal ethics experts for a primer on the most pressing and pernicious ethics traps out there for the modern lawyer, along with best practices to avoid problems on the front end.

The lesson is to not only beware, but be aware."