Search Results for: legal advisors

Self-government institutions of the legal professions of public trust in the light of assumptions of Paul Ricoeur’s ‘little ethics’

Dr Marcin Pieniążek

Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University

English abstract: In this article, the problems of institutional aspects of lawyers’ legal ethics are discussed. On the theoretical plane, the concept of lawyers’ self-government institutions is reinterpreted in the perspective of ‘little ethics’ outlined by Paul Ricoeur’s in his work Oneself as Another. This approach is cognitively justified because, in the light of the assumptions adopted by the philosopher, the ethical aspiration of an entity can be fully realised only in ‘just institutions’. In the first place, the text discusses the fundamental importance of the institution, taking into consideration the achievements of legal meta-ethics. The point of reference for the analyses undertaken by the author is the role played by the concept in question in the ethical and professional codifications of the self-governments of attorneys and legal advisors in Poland. In the key part of the discussion, Ricoeur’s concept of ethics is adopted as the basis for systematizing and reinterpreting the issues relating to institutions of self-government of the legal professions of public trust. Ultimately, the theory of professional ethics, referring to the philosopher’s work, enables characterising in a comprehensive way the ethical aspirations of a lawyer at the internal, interpersonal and institutional levels.

Keywords: institutions, lawyers’ professional self-government, legal ethics, ‘little ethics’, Paul Ricoeur

Language: Polish

Received: 06.06.2017
Accepted: 08.09.2017

Published: Number 1(16)/2018, pp. 54-68.

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Number of downloads: 383

Subjectivity, responsibility, historicity of a profession and a professional on the example of the profession of a legal advisor

Dr Paweł Łabieniec

University of Łódź

English abstract: Among the legal professions in Poland, the profession of a legal advisor is the most suitable to show how the responsibility of this job and those who perform it has been perceived over time, in the context of the social and economic changes in the legal environment. The transformation of the job, which in the pre-1989 communist period was performed mostly under an employment contract, into a profession of public trust in the strict sense, was underpinned by radical political, social and economic changes. This article presents how these changes turned the job of a legal advisor into a profession. The area of competencies of legal advisors gradually grew, making these professionals increasingly responsible for maintaining high standards of the rendered services and for setting ever higher ethical requirements. The changes in the methods of practising the profession required regular modifications of codes of professional ethics. This process provides ample evidence that professional conduct is a reflection of the social role which the professionals are expected to play.

Keywords: legal advisors, history of the profession of legal advisor, professional ethics of legal advisors, responsibility of a professional

Language: Polish

Received: 06.06.2017
Accepted: 01.09.2017

Published: Number 1(16)/2018, pp. 34-45.

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Number of downloads: 457

Rule of law, public philosophy and moral responsibility of scientists

Prof. dr hab. Lech Morawski

Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu

English abstract: The paper discusses some relationships between the rule of law and the public philosophy. It is unquestionable that nowadays the scientism has become one of the dominant ideologies of industrial and post-industrial societies. Scientists and researchers take an active part in public life, are advisors to governments and corporations, comment in the media important public events. Thus, the problem arises of their moral and legal responsibility for what they say and do in public life. In my opinion, we may distinguish two different models of responsibility, which I call a model of scientist as an ordinary citizen and model of scientist always on duty. To put it another way, we may ask, whether the scientist in public life like an ordinary citizen can act in accordance with his political, economic or religious sympathies and preferences or just like a judge, priest or a physician is always „on duty” and always must follow all the rules of his profession. I defend the view that the adoption of the second model is one of the necessary preconditions of the existence of informed and rational public opinion and thus, the informed and rational rule of law.

Keywords: rule of law, moral responsibility, legal responsibility, public philosophy

Language: Polish

Published: Number 2(9)/2014, pp. 85-94

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Number of downloads: 369