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Los Angeles County, CA | March 2, 2004 Election |
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LEGAL ETHICSBy P. Michael ErwinCandidate for Superior Court Judge; County of Los Angeles; Office 69 |
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This is not an oxymoron. People in law are bound by official rules of ethics. Personal morality cannot be made into rules-it comes from within.Legal ethics: This is not an oxymoron. There are many people in the legal profession with a high degree of professional ethics. There are also those who skirt or outright violate the rules of professional conduct. Some are caught and punished while others are not. No policing organization can be successsful at enforcement all the time. Attorneys and judges are bound by official rules of ethics. Our Bar and Judicial Associations enforce those rules. Rules or ink on a piece of paper don't make a person ethical or moral. Only adherence to a proper set of values produces personal morality-it comes from within. I have declined business that offered huge money because I felt they were immoral. Sometimes the opportunities would also violate some code or rule also, but that was not the deciding factor. I want my wife, children and grandchildren to be proud of the person I am, not proud of how much I have gained materially. Morality, based on faith in a higher authority than ourselves raises the bar and trumps rules of legal ethics everytime. |
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