Course Description:
Pending Faculty Approval. The course will focus on the ethical responsibilities of prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers and will touch on the role of judges in the criminal justice context. Topics will include the defense lawyer’s duty of zealous representation, the responsibilities of the prosecutor as an advocate and minister of justice, the duty of confidentiality and its limits, conflicts of interests, and ethical responsibilities in the investigation and trial of criminal cases: responsibilities of the prosecutor in charging decisions, the ethics of plea-bargaining from the perspective of prosecution and defense, the ethics of cross examination and closing arguments, obligations under Brady v Maryland, rewarding cooperation, and the handling of informants.
