The Role Ethics Play When an Attorney Becomes the Judge and the Jury

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The Role Ethics Play when an Attorney Becomes the Judge and the Jury Candy Olson Kaplan University The Role Ethics Play when an Attorney becomes the Judge and the Jury Ethically, attorneys are disciplined for committing crimes against his or her employer or clients, if they are caught committing such crimes. This assignment delves into what occurs psychologically and worldly when an attorney feels it is right to submit forged documents into evidence in order to save her client from the death penalty. Although the attorney’s client, Jane, is accused by an eyewitness of her husband’s murder, Jane was not the person who killed her husband. However, the attorney should know that forging any document in Jane’s name is considered a felony in her state. For purposes of this assignment, this writer will be Jane’s attorney and will be referred to as “Amanda.” The question this paper seeks to answer or review is whether Amanda believes that she deserves a pass regardless of the crime she has committed due to her moral obligation to save Jane’s life. The first part of this paper discusses three moral theories that apply to Jane and Amanda’s scenario: (1) theory of egoism, (2) theory of utilitarianism; and (3) the theory of Kantianism (i.e. “categorical imperative”). The second portion of this paper discusses the “Golden Rule” from Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism perspectives regarding Jane and her attorney’s scenario. Finally, a reflection of the ethical obligations an attorney owes to his or her clients is discussed in the last portion of this paper, along with the positive and negative effects gained or lost in the world if unethical or immoral decisions occur, an evaluation of possible outcomes, and a solution to Jane and Amanda’s scenario. Three Moral Theories Concerning the Crime of Forgery Amanda’s decision

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