A body representing the global bar has responded to what it says are sustained attacks on the profession by pledging to clarify the ethical responsibilities and obligations of lawyers. The Gatekeepers Project, led by the legal policy & research unit of the International Bar Association, aims to engage with critics over issues such as client confidentiality.

The global initiative will invite input from bar associations, law societies, law firms and individual practitioners. It aims to publish guidance for law firms on how to navigate the ethical minefields posed by modern commercial legal practice and an update or ethical commentary for the latest version of IBA’s International Principles on Conduct for the Legal Profession.

Sara Carnegie, project leader, said: ‘Rather than wait for negative comments to develop into actions and to avoid forming a position of defensive entrenchment, we want to undertake constructive dialogue and find solutions. We hope that all parties can reach mutually respectful positions with informed understanding of what is at stake.’

IBA president Sternford Moyo, said: ‘Over the last two decades, the IBA has been increasingly proactive and visible in its efforts to fight corruption and promote core standards for the legal profession, including our groundbreaking guidance for business lawyers on human rights contained in our 2016 Practical Guide. Now we are leading the charge in the global response to one of the greatest challenges facing the profession today - namely, how to respond to the ethical challenges and criticisms that lawyers face in relation to our profession’s core principles and the provision of legal services.’

The IBA, established in 1947, represents more than 190 bar associations and law societies globally.

Law Society of president I. Stephanie Boyce said described the initiative as 'timely', saying it mirrors work the  Society is doing at a domestic level.

'Lawyers often must weigh up the competing and sometimes conflicting duties of acting in the best interests of clients, for the proper administration of justice and in the public interest,' she said.  'It is our role, as founding members of the IBA and the representative body for solicitors in England and Wales, to support our members to meet ethical challenges posed by operating in today’s business and international environment, maintaining the highest professional standards to uphold the rule of law and maintain access to justice.'

 

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