Reflections on the Connection of Virtue Ethics to Therapeutic Jurisprudence
(2012) 35(3) University of New South Wales Law Journal 717
Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2012/06
31 Pages Posted: 13 Feb 2013
Date Written: 2012
Abstract
Therapeutic Jurisprudence (‘TJ’) and virtue ethics are major parallel forces for good in legal practice. Both seek to understand and mediate frailness in human behaviour and explain why such ‘goodness’ is important for lawyers and their clients. But while a TJ practitioner and a virtue ethicist are often in agreement, they are fraternal rather than identical twins. This paper is addressed to those practising lawyers for whom TJ may become a central motivation to practice law, by reflecting on the moral advantages that virtue ethics can offer such practitioners in their daily decision making.
Keywords: Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Virtue Ethics, Ethics, Legal Profession, Dispute Resolution, Virtue, Client Management
JEL Classification: K00, K40, K49
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation