Mr. Prinzo's Breakthrough and the Limits of Confidentiality

Abstract

Engaging students in the required Professional Responsibility course is not always easy. There are many ways we attempt to overcome this resistance, including bringing in current events, emphasizing remedies other than lawyer discipline, and making use of a number of currently available audio-visual aids, including clips from movies and television shows. In this article, the author describes her use of Mr. Prinzo's Breakthrough, an absurd, black humor short story by Bruce Jay Friedman, to teach the limits of the obligation of confidentiality.

Keywords: Professional Responsibility, teaching Professional Responsibility, Model Rules of Professional Conduct, R. 1.6 (2001), engaging students, teaching techniques, limits of the obligation of confidentiality

JEL Classification: K29, K39