Professional Responsibility
Professor Vernellia Randall
The University of Dayton School of Law

 "A lawyer, as a member of the legal profession, is a representative of clients, an officer of the legal system
and a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice."
ABA Model Rules for Conduct.

Lesson 1: Introduction

Initial Reflections
on Ethics, Morality and Justice

• Legal Ethics (Casebook),  1-34
• The Rules and Standard of our Profession
• Legal Ethics (RSC),
  • ABA Model Rule, Preamble,
  • ABA Model Rule, Scope
  • ABA Model Rule, Terminology

• Read the syllabus , follow all the links and complete the Questionnaire by
• View Video - Introduction to Moodle
• Signup for Moodle:
  • UserName = Firstname Inital and Last Name
    • Example: Jane Doe = jdoe
  • Password=changeme
  • upload a "headshot"/passport photo
  • Update your profile
• Taking into consideration the ABA preamble, write  650 - 750 word  reflection paper on ethics, morality and justice. Before coming to law school did you think they were different? How? Why? Has law school changed your views on the meaning of ethics, morality or justice? What are your fundamental values  and what are the fundamental values of the legal profession? Are those lists in conflict? How did you, or how will you, resolve these conflicts? What are the  sources of your values? How did you discovered those sources? How will you ensure that you use your values and sources of values on a regular basis as you practice law? These are due May 12, 2009, 5:30 pm in Moodle.
• Write Learning Objectives:  Using the teaching objectives for this course as a starting point, write  at least ten specific learning objectives for yourself for this course. These objectives are due  May 19, 2008 in  in the  Moodle Drop box
  • Your objectives should be concrete and measurable.
    • At least one objective for each of the following units:
      • Lawyer-Client Relationship
      • Duty to the System and Society
      • Modern Practice
    • At least one objective for each of the learning domains (cognitive, affective, psychomotor)
    • At least one objectives related to diversity
    • At least one objective related to test-taking skills.
  • In a footnote, for each objective identify which unit it is for, which learning domain it covers and whether it covers diversity or test-taking skills.
  • Read the following to help you write learning objectives: Guidelines for Writing Learning Objectives
  • Before writing your objectives, get an overview of the course, review the table of contents of both the assigned books and review the syllabus
  • Keep a copy of your learning objectives because at the end of the semester you will have to write a reflection paper which discusses how well your objectives were met.