Professional Ethics and Responsibilities

Students will critically examine the Law Society of Ontario's (LSO) Paralegal Rules of Conduct, the ethical issues that arise in a professional paralegal practice, the differences in responsibilities of supervised and independent paralegals, and the expectation of interaction of paralegals within the legal community. The duty of paralegals to their clients is critically examined in the context of such issues as conflict of interest, confidentiality, competency and honesty and candour, and, a model of ethical advocacy practices is developed by assessing the duty of the independent paralegal to the court and tribunal as well as to the other parties and their legal representatives. Students will be prepared to clarify a value system, establish a framework for ethical decision-making, and apply the LSO's Paralegal Rules of Conduct to practice as paralegals.