Professional Responsibility: Problems of Practice and the Profession

The practice-based approach, realistic problems, and brevity of Professional Responsibility: Problems of Practice and the Profession have made it a favorite with both instructors and students. Now in its fourth edition, this concise problem-based casebook continues to offer students the opportunity to hone their judgment skills and to develop a philosophy of lawyering that can become a credo for dealing with the hard ethical issues that are part of their chosen profession.

The unique features of this exceptional casebook include:

• Reasonable and accessible length
• Teaching flexibility – this casebook works equally well in two-hour or three-hour courses as well as in clinical programs
• Doctrinal coherence – organization by area of practice and by doctrine within area of practice gives students a feel for the rewards and challenges of particular practice areas and offers students and instructors the opportunity to review and compare the treatment of the same issue in different areas
• An emphasis on developing sound judgment – challenging problems offer students the opportunity to develop their ability to exercise sound judgment within the framework of rules of ethics and applicable law
• An innovative approach to dealing with issues of professional responsibility – Nathan Crystal conceptualizes a philosophy of lawyering, and he provides ample material for students to articulate and to justify their own philosophy of lawyering
• An extensive Teacher’s Manual – the detailed Teacher’s Manual provides sample lesson plans with specific questions and answers for each class, suggestions for role plays and other teaching techniques, and sample syllabi for both two- and three-hour courses

Updated throughout, the Fourth Edition offers:

• a second, doctrinally-organized Table of Contents to give greater flexibility to teachers who prefer a doctrinal organization
• multiple-choice questions that are geared toward preparing students for the MPRE as well as understanding basic concepts
• major new cases, including Spaulding v. Zimmerman and Alexander v. Cahill
• comprehensive treatment of the revised Code of Judicial Conduct (2007)
• a new author website that will provide updates and material covering new cases and developments and self-testing materials for students
• new and revised problems
• updated Teacher’s Manual

For well-rounded coverage and a practice-based approach that you can easily adapt to your own teaching style, you’ll want to take a look at Nathan M. Crystal’s Professional Responsibility: Problems of Practice and the Profession, Fourth Edition.