The framework is part of the Chancery Lane's three-year professional ethics project
The Law Society of England and Wales has rolled out the first version of an ethics framework designed to tackle ethical issues faced by in-house solicitors, reported the Law Society Gazette.
Chancery Lane partnered with the University of Leeds’s Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre to develop the framework, which is part of its three-year professional ethics project. The framework provides in-house solicitors with free tools, resources, and templates for handling ethics concerns in the workplace.
The framework complements guidance from the Solicitors Regulation Authority by positioning solicitors to be “better able to meet their regulatory requirements and ethical responsibilities, as well as positively influence their organisation’s ethical culture,” as per a Law Society statement published by the Gazette. According to the legal regulator, the SRA guidance tackles issues like identifying the client, internal investigations, and legal privilege.
A consultation on the framework is set to open this week.
“Ethical dilemmas can arise when employers ask in-house solicitors to facilitate activities that, although lawful, may be considered contrary to the public interest,” the Law Society said in a statement published by the Gazette.
Law Society President Richard Atkinson explained that members had sought more support to maintain professional independence and reinforce ethical practice.
“In-house solicitors are in a unique position as both legal and business advisers to their employer. Naturally, this gives rise to competing pressures and ethical dilemmas,” Atkinson said in a statement published by the Gazette. “The framework responds to a real need for us as a professional body to enable the in-house community to better understand ethical challenges, practise ethical judgement and meet their regulatory obligations.”
Team leader Dr Jim Baxter added in a statement published by the Gazette that in-house solicitors require “an ability to wield influence while maintaining independence.”
According to the Law Society, the urgency with Chancery Lane’s professional ethics project has increased following the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
