Research Guides: Researching Legal Ethics &amp; Professional Responsibility: ABA Model Ethics Codes

ABA/Bloomberg Law Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct

ABA/Bloomberg Law Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct

This database is run by BNA and provides access to the full text of all the ABA model rules and comments, the ABA/Bloomberg Law Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct, and ABA ethics opinions from 1986-present, all of which are fully indexed and searchable.

It also offers a wealth of secondary materials, including practice guides for specific legal fields, state-specific research pages, current news, and links to state ethics laws and rules. This is a good first stop for any researcher just embarking on their search.

ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct

The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (also available on Westlaw and Lexis)

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct are the current ethical codes of the American Bar Association. Since their promulgation in 1983, they have been adopted in some form by numerous states. The Model Rules consist of a Preamble, a statement of their scope, and a list of approximately 58 rules, organized into eight subject areas. Each Rule is followed by a comment explaining the Rule.

How to Find the Rules

The ABA's website includes the full text of the current Rules and their comments. The site also provides the full text of the Rules' forerunners, the 1969 Model Code of Professional Responsibility and the 1908 Canons of Professional Ethics. It also includes lists detailing state adoption of the Rules and links to state ethics rules and opinions. In addition, it provides commentary, legislative history and a comparison of the Rules to the American Law Institute's Restatement (3d) of the Law Governing Lawyers.

For databases that include the Model Rules, please see the "Subscription Databases" section of this Guide. The rules are also available in print at the library call numbers listed below.

ABA-BNA Lawyers' Manual on Professional Conduct by American Bar Association, Center for Professional Responsibility Staff
Call Number: KF305 .A16
ISBN: 9780871794857
Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct by American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility Staff This annotated version contains the full text of the rules and provides extensive citations to cases, articles, and books discussing the issues arising under each rule.
Call Number: KF305.A29.A56
ISBN: 9781634252478
A concise restatement of the law governing lawyers by Vincent R. Johnson, Susan Saab Fortney Also available on HeinOnline.
Call Number: KF300 .C65 2007
ISBN: 9780314978202
Legal ethics : the lawyer's deskbook on professional responsibility by Ronald D. Rotunda, John S. Dzienkowski, Center for Professional Responsibility (American Bar Association) This resource provides current information and in-depth analysis of current legal ethical standards from a variety of sources. It combines the authors' thorough understanding of the current ethical climate with commentary and discussions and references to the American Law Institute's Restatement of the Law, 3d Law Governing Lawyers. It is organized around the American Bar Association's Model Rules, which many states have adopted, and the ABA's Judicial Code.
Call Number: KF306.L43
ISBN: 0314627693
Restatement of the law, third, the law governing lawyers by American Law Institute Provides a thorough explanation and analysis of United States law concerning lawyers. Compiled by a panel of judges and scholars, it offers analysis, systematization, and guidance pertinent to the law governing law practice. Also available on HeinOnline and Westlaw.
Call Number: KF395

ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct

The ABA's Model Code of Judicial Conduct is the judicial equivalent of the Model Rules of Professional Responsibility, and most states have adopted it in the same way as they have the Rules. The full text of the Code is available on the ABA's website and in the major subscription databases.

Legislative History of Model Rules

Understanding how and why a standard came to be as it is today can be the key to how it should be interpreted. To assist researchers in finding the history of professional rules, the ABA has published a brief article detailing the development of legal ethics standards in the United States. Additional information about the history of legal ethics can be found by following the links in the article or visiting the ABA's Model Rules page.

In addition, the resources below analyze the legislative history of the ABA Model Rules. Legislative history refers to the progress of a statute or rule through the legislative process and to the documents that are created during that process. Attorneys, judges, and others often turn to these documents to learn why legislative bodies enacted a particular law or to aid in the interpretation of a law. Both of these books can be found in the library.

A Legislative History: The Development of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct 1982-2013 by Center for Professional Responsibility (American Bar Association)
Call Number: KF306.L43.2013
ISBN: 9781627223850
Publication Date: 2013
The Legislative History of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct by Center for Professional Responsibility (American Bar Association)
Call Number: KF306 .L433 1987
ISBN: 0897072812
Publication Date: 1987

Code Compilations

These print compilations of various model and state codes are available in the Law Library at the call numbers listed.

Model Code of Professional Responsibility, Model Rules of Professional Conduct and Other Selected Standards Including California and New York Rules on Professional Responsibility, KF305 .A29 M63 (2014)

Regulation of Lawyers, Statutes and Standards, KF305 .A15 R43 (2006)

ABA Compendium of Professional Responsibility Rules and Standards, American Bar Association, KF305 .A29 A23 (2014)