About This Course
In today’s legally charged environment, professional and ethical responsibility have become complex, evolving concepts. Accordingly, it’s vital for legal professionals to understand best practices for avoiding misconduct and what steps to take when problems arise.
In this course, you’ll learn how the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Washington State Rules of Professional Conduct, as well as the canons of the National Association of Legal Assistants guide the paralegal profession in the areas of responsibility and ethics. We’ll explore real-world ethical dilemmas, including the benefits and risks of using AI in the legal profession, and the expectations and the limits of a paralegal’s duties in this context.
We’ll also dive into fundamental ethical questions raised by actual and perceived conflicts of interest, attorney-client privilege, unauthorized practice of law, client confidentiality, ethics of handling client funds, and a paralegal's understanding of how to work with technology while complying with ethical obligations under the Rules owed to clients. As you incorporate AI tools into your learning, you'll further prepare for the complexities of ethical and professional responsibility in the legal field.
What You’ll Learn
- All aspects of the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct and Washington State Rules of Professional Conduct, including discussion and application to actual cases that outline a paralegal's responsibility to follow the Rules
- How to avoid and recognize ethical dilemmas, including the differences between conflicts of interest, confidentiality and work product, and how to avoid the unauthorized practice of law
- How paralegals use technology in a law firm, including benefits, limits and risks from an ethics perspective of the use of AI tools for legal research, discovery and document drafting
