Role of the Defense Attorney: Not Just an Advocate

Abstract:     
This essay was written for a symposium where several authors each analyzed the same factual hypothetical of a client planning to commit perjury. It argues that the lawyer’s ethical role must account for duties to the court and public, as well as the duties to the client. The tri-partite role of the attorney is the beginning point when dealing with what has been called the criminal defense attorney’s trilemma. The answer to the hypothetical posed is found in accepting the responsibility to fulfill each of the required ethical roles in any given situation. This essay argues that the situation of a client’s perjury should be analyzed with a recognition that each of the multiple roles implicate distinct responsibilities, and further that each role has an ethical perspective which must be considered and fulfilled in every action and decision the lawyer makes.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 6

Keywords: Ethics, Defense Attorney, Perjury

Accepted Paper Series