Do No Wrong Ethics for Prosecutors and Defenders

by Joy, Peter A.; McMunigal, Kevin C.

• ISBN13: 9781604422696
• ISBN10: 1604422696
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-16
• Publisher: American Bar Association

Summary

Criminal law practice is a minefield of legal ethics issues for both the prosecution and defense. There are a myriad of ethical questions requiring not only an understanding of the relevant ethics rules, but also applicable constitutional and statutory law as well as rules of criminal procedure and evidence. This book aims to put these and other ethical questions on the radar screens of criminal practitioners.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
About the Authors	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
Prosecution’s Role	p. 1
Are a Prosecutor’s Responsibilities ”Special&Idquo;?	p. 3
Few Ethics Rules Specifically Address Prosecutors	p. 3
Prosecutors Often Subject to Same Rules as Other Lawyers	p. 5
Berger v. United States	p. 5
Extraordinary Remedies	p. 6
Model Rule 3.8	p. 7
When Are a Prosecutor’s Duties Distinct?	p. 9
Conclusion	p. 10
Resources for Chapter 1	p. 10
Why Should Prosecutors ”Seek Justice&Idquo;?	p. 13
Rationales for Treating Prosecutors Differently	p. 14
The Government’s Overarching Interest in Justice	p. 14
Protecting Against Abuse of Power	p. 15
Asymmetry of Resources	p. 15
Public Confidence in the Justice System	p. 16
Promotes Open Government	p. 16
Risks of Injustice	p. 17
Conclusion	p. 17
Resources for Chapter 2	p. 18
New Rules for Scientific and Exculpatory Evidence?	p. 19
Scientific Evidence	p. 19
Exculpatory Evidence	p. 23
Resources for Chapter 3	p. 24
Defense Counsel’s Role	p. 27
Has.Gideon’s Promise Been Fulfilled?	p. 29
Crisis in Defense Systems	p. 29
Constitutional Standard for Adequate Assistance of Counsel	p. 31
The ABA’s Ten Principles	p. 33
Conclusion	p. 34
Resources for Chapter 4	p. 34
Inadequate Representation and Wrongful Convictions	p. 37
Causes of Wrongful Convictions	p. 37
Ethical Dimensions of Inadequate Representation	p. 38
Remedying the Imbalance of Resources	p. 40
Conclusion	p. 41
Resources for Chapter 5	p. 41
Criminal Practice and the Media	p. 43
Trial by Media: Arguing Cases in the Courtof Public Opinion	p. 45
Should Public Comment by Lawyers Be Regulated?	p. 45
Protecting Trials	p. 46
Protecting Clients	p. 47
Protecting the Public	p. 47
History of Ethics Regulation	p. 48
Current Ethics Rules Regulating Pretrial and Trial Publicity	p. 49
Borderline Issues	p. 51
Conclusion	p. 52
Resources for Chapter 6	p. 52
Clients, Lawyers, and the Media	p. 55
Access to the Jury Room	p. 55
Interviews with Clients and Recording Defense Preparation	p. 57
Lawyers Entering into Media Contracts	p. 57
Client Media Deals and Lawyer Ethics	p. 58
Competent Representation	p. 59
Confidentiality	p. 60
Conflict of Interest	p. 60
Prosecutorial Objections	p. 60
Conclusion	p. 61
Resources for Chapter 7	p. 61
The Role of Lawyers in Client Media Campaigns	p. 63
Rewards and Risks	p. 63
Who Decides?	p. 64
Competence	p. 65
Conflict of Interest	p. 66
Vicarious Ethics Violations?	p. 66
Conclusion	p. 69
Resources for Chapter 8	p. 69
Client Autonomy	p. 71
Client Autonomy and Choice of Counsel	p. 73
Pro Hac Vice Admission	p. 74
Defense Counsel Conflicts	p. 75
The Pros and Cons	p. 75
Conclusion	p. 78
Resources for Chapter 9	p. 78
Counsel or Client: Who’s in Charge?	p. 79
Allocation of Authority	p. 79
Disputes over Means	p. 81
Acquiescing to Counsel’s Decisions	p. 83
Conclusion	p. 85
Resources for Chapter 10	p. 86
Conflicts of Interest	p. 87
The Supreme Court and Defense Counsel Conflicts	p. 89
The Legal Standard	p. 89
The Facts	p. 90
The Conflict in Mickens	p. 90
The Court’s Decision in Mickens	p. 92
Actual Conflict	p. 93
Adverse Impact?	p. 93
Conclusion	p. 95
Resources for Chapter 11	p. 95
Campaign Pledges to Prosecute	p. 973
An Explicit Pledge to Prosecute	p. 97
What’s Wrong with a Pledge to Prosecute?	p. 98
Political Distortion	p. 98
Decisions Made on Incomplete Information	p. 99
Constraining the Exercise of Prosecutorial Discretion	p. 100
An Implicit Pledge to Prosecute?	p. 100
Conclusion	p. 101
Resources for Chapter 12	p. 102
Investigation and Discovery	p. 103
To Tape or Not to Tape: Secret Recording	p. 105
The Pros and Cons	p. 105
The Law on Secret Recording	p. 106
The Ethics of Secret Recording	p. 107
Conclusion	p. 109
Resources for Chapter 13	p. 110
Brother’s Keeper: Must You Protect Opponent’s Confidentiality?	p. Ill
Confidentiality Basics	p. 112
Obligation to Another Lawyer’s Client	p. 112
Inadvertent Disclosure of Confidential Information	p. 113
The Cooperative Approach	p. 114
The Adversarial Approach	p. 114
Intermediate Positions	p. 115
An Array of Rationales	p. 116
Practical Implications	p. 117
Resources for Chapter 14	p. 118
Anticontact Rule in Criminal Investigations	p. 119
The Rule	p. 119
Underlying Policies	p. 122
Prosecutors	p. 122
”Authorized by Law&Idquo; Exception	p. 123
Current Law	p. 124
Defense Counsel	p. 126
Conclusion	p. 127
Resources for Chapter 15	p. 127
Destroying Documents	p. 129
Complexity Ambiguity and Variability	p. 130
Underestimating Reach and Impact	p. 131
Obstructing Access to Evidence; Wrongdoing by Employees	p. 132
Conclusion	p. 133
Resources for Chapter 16	p. 133
Implicit Plea Agreements and Issues of Disclosure	p. 135
Legal Disclosure Obligation	p. 135
Ethical Disclosure Obligation	p. 136
Judicial Approaches to Implicit Plea Agreements	p. 137
Resources for Chapter 17	p. 140
Plea Negotiations	p. 141
Disclosing Exculpatory Material in Plea Negotiations	p. 143
History	p. 144
Ethical Disclosure Obligation	p. 144
Implicit Brady Waivers	p. 146
Why Require Disclosure of Exculpatory Information During Plea Negotiations?	p. 146
Knowledge	p. 147
Sincerity	p. 149
Brady Disclosure as a Remedy	p. 151
Current Law	p. 151
United States v. Ruiz	p. 152
Implicit Waiver after Ruiz	p. 155
Implications of Brady Waivers	p. 156
Conclusion	p. 158
Resources for Chapter 18	p. 158
Corporate Privilege Waivers in Plea Negotiations	p. 161
Corporate Attorney-Client Privilege	p. 162
Competence	p. 162
Conflict of Interest	p. 164
Brother’s Keeper	p. 164
A Compromise	p. 165
Resources for Chapter 19	p. 166
Preparation for Trial	p. 167
Witness Preparation: When Does It Cross the Line?	p. 169
Virtues and Vices	p. 169
Ethical Rules	p. 170
Practical Concerns	p. 171
Preparing a Witness	p. 173
Resources for Chapter 20	p. 173
The Alternative Perpetrator Strategy	p. 175
”Plan B&Idquo;	p. 176
To Use or Not to Use Plan B	p. 177
Critiques of Plan B	p. 177
Falsity	p. 178
Fairness	p. 179
Evidentiary Limits on Plan B	p. 180
Conclusion	p. 182
Resources for Chapter 21	p. 182
Litigation Ethics	p. 185
Prosecutors Pursuing Inconsistent Prosecutions	p. 187
Advancing Inconsistent Theories of Prosecution	p. 187
A Prosecutor’s Options	p. 189
Why Do Prosecutors Do It?	p. 189
The Pursuit of Inconsistent Prosecutions	p. 190
Ethical Requirements for Prosecutors	p. 191
Possible Limits on Inconsistent Prosecutions	p. 192
Conclusion	p. 195
Resources for Chapter 22	p. 195
”Thou Shalt Not Use Religion in Closing Argument&Idquo;	p. 197
The Bounds of Argument	p. 197
Religious References and Misconduct	p. 199
Reversible Error?	p. 201
Invited Response	p. 202
Two Lessons	p. 203
Conclusion	p. 204
Resources for Chapter 23	p. 204
Table of Cases	p. 207
Index	p. 211
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