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Legal Ethics Research Guide: Info for Ethics Course Students

Researching Legal Ethics

Research basics for writing a disciplinary decision or ethics opinion

Before you begin your research, be sure you know the difference between an ethics opinion and a disciplinary decision.

  • Ethics Opinions
    • Proactive: an attorney requests an opinion from the Advisory Committee (if in New Mexico)
    • Opinions are written in response to inquiries regarding application of professional rules to proposed actions.
    • The Committee responds to the attorney; the opinion is also published it the issue is novel and judged to be of general interest to other bar members.
    • Goal: to resolve ethical dilemmas.
  • Disciplinary Decisions
    • Reactive: a complaint is filed against an attorney.
    • Goals:
      • to protect the public against future acts of misconduct
      • to maintain the profession’s ethical standards.

Remember, different jurisdictions call their ethical rules different by different names, including:

  • Ethical Rules
  • Rules of Professional Conduct
  • Ethical Code
  • Code of Professional Conduct

Also consider searching under Legal Malpractice.

Research basics for your Wisdom paper

Need biographical information?
 
For biographical and contact information for attorneys or judges, see:
–Who’s Who in American Law (2011-2012), Upper Floor Reference Collection, KF 190
–The Best Lawyers in America (2009), Upper Floor Reference Collection, KF 190
 
For interviews or profiles written about lawyers and judges, search legal journals, newspapers and newsletters as well as local bar publications
–Lexis: "Browse sources" upper left--> secondary sources tab on the left
–Westlaw: secondary sources --> legal newspapers and newsletters

Want to read briefs from reported or unreported cases involving a particular judge or attorney?

            To find state court briefs for New Mexico cases:

  1. Search for briefs from published cases by docket number (for reported cases in New Mexico Appellate Reports the docket number is usually located below the defendant-petitioner’s name at the top of the first page)
  2. Library catalog search:
  3. –Walk next door to the Court of Appeals and obtain access to Ct. Appeals briefs.
To find briefs by a specific attorney or presiding judge:
Westlaw: cases  --> “advanced search” document fields: attorney or judge.  Add “date range” if desired.

Research basics for your cultural autobiographies

Explore the University Library databases, including databases on cultural studies, for relevant articles and papers relating to cultural studies.
 
Explore the UNM Library Catalog for books related to cultural perspectives/studies and your topic.
◦Use the  “subject heading” tags to find other books on that same subject  e.g.
 
Plan Ahead!
  • If books you want to use are at University Libraries, you will need to make a trip to main campus
  • If books you want are at other libraries, you will need to order them via ILL.

Print Resources at the Law Library

Opinions
by Eugene M. Wypyski, Meira G. Pimsleur, Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Committee on Professional Ethics.
Location: KF305.A62 1980 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Informal ethics opinions.
by American Bar Association. Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
Locations:

  • KF305.A211 1975 - Law Reference Stacks - Upper Floor
  • KF305.A211 1975 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Ethics opinions.
by Los Angeles County Bar Association. Committee on Legal Ethics.
Location: KFC76.5.A2 A5 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Formal and informal ethics opinions : formal opinions 316-348, informal opinions 1285-1495.
by American Bar Association. Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
Location: KF305.A213 1985 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Formal and informal ethics opinions, 1983-1998.
by American Bar Association. Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
Location: KF 305 A62 2000 - Law Reference Stacks - Upper Floor

Lawyer specialization : a comprehensive annotated bibliography of articles, books, court decisions, and ethics opinions
by Nathan Aaron. Rosen, ABA Standing Committee on Specialization.
Location: KF297.Z9R672 1990 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Opinions of the Committee on Professional Ethics, with the Canons of professional ethics, annotated, and Canons of judicial ethics, annotated.
by American Bar Association. Committee on Professional Ethics.
Locations:

  • KF305.A212 1967 - Law Lower Floor General Collection
  • KF305.A212 1967 - Law Reference Stacks - Upper Floor

The digest of judicial ethics advisory opinions
by Debora L. Solomon
Location: KF8779.A53D55 1991 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Digest of bar association ethics opinions,
by Olavi. Maru, Roger L. Clough
Locations:

  • KF 305 A2M3 1970 - Law Lower Floor General Collection
  • KF305.A2M3 1970 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Formal ethics opinions, 1999-2013
by American Bar Association. Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility,, Arthur Garwin, Dennis A. Rendleman, Mary McDermott (Lawyer),
Location: KF 305 A2 2013 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Opinions of the Committee on Professional Ethics and Grievances : with the Canons of professional ethics, annotated, and the Canons of judicial ethics, annotated
by American Bar Association. Committee on Professional Ethics and Grievances.
Location:KF305 A2 1947 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Opinions of the Committee on Professional Ethics and Grievances : with the Canons of professional ethics, annotated, and the Canons of judicial ethics, annotated
by American Bar Association. Committee on Professional Ethics and Grievances.
Location: KF305.A2 1957 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Recent ethics opinions.
by American Bar Association. Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
Location: KF 305 A214 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Opinions of the Committees on Professional Ethics of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the New York County Lawyers' Association.
by Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Committee on Professional Ethics., New York County Lawyers' Association. Committee on Professional Ethics.
Location: KF305.A62 1956 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Do no wrong : ethics for prosecutors and defenders
by Peter A. Joy, Kevin C. McMunigal
Locations:

  • KF 9619 J69 2009 - Law Lower Floor General Collection
  • KF 9619 J69 2009 - Law Clinic Library

Legal ethics in child custody and dependency proceedings : a guide for judges and lawyers
by William Wesley Patton
Location:KF 306 P38 2006 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Opinions of the Committee on professional ethics and grievances, with th canons of profession ethics annotated, and the canons of judicial ethics.
by American Bar Association. Committee on Professional Ethics and Grievances., Thomas Francis Howe
Location:KF305.A2 1931 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Ethics in forensic science and medicine : guidelines for the forensic expert and the attorney
by Melvin A. Shiffman
Location:KF 8961 E86 1999 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Selected opinions of the Committee on Professional Ethics of the Florida Bar.
by Florida Bar. Committee on Professional Ethics., Thomas C. MacDonald
Location:  KFF76.5.A2A5 1969 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Opinions [of] Council [and] Standing Committees on: Legal Ethics, the Unauthorized Practice of Law, and Judicial Ethics. Procedural guide for district committees, 1965.
by Virginia State Bar.
Location:  KFV2476.5 V5 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Code of professional responsibility and opinions of the D.C. Bar Legal Ethics Committee.
by District of Columbia Bar.
Location: KFD1276.5 A2 B3 1976 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Opinions and reports of the Judicial Council, including the principles of medical ethics and rules of the Judicial Council.
by American Medical Association. Judicial Council.
Location: R724.A5 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Codes of professional responsibility
by Rena A. Gorlin
Location: BJ1725.C57 1986 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Practice extended : beyond law and literature
by Robert A. Ferguson
Location: PN 56 l33f47 2016 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Code of judicial conduct for United States judges.
by American Bar Association. Special Committee on Standards of Judicial Conduct., United States. Administrative Office of the United States Courts., Judicial Conference of the United States.
Location:  KF8779 A94 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Judicial reputation : a comparative theory
by Nuno Garoupa, Tom Ginsburg
Location: K 2146 G374 2015 - Law Lower Floor General Collection

Collected New Mexico ethics opinions
by New Mexico. Supreme Court., University of New Mexico. School of Law.
Location: KFN 3676.5 A2A515 - Law New Mexico Stacks


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