ACC STL - The Ethics of Truth Telling, Candor and Legal Negotiations

Lawyers are routinely characterized as “officers of the court” with special obligations of truthfulness and candor to a judge.  Concurrently, lawyers are thought to owe their allegiance to the client and only the client. It is also an accepted principle that lawyers have no affirmative duty to inform an opposing party of relevant facts.  The obligation to manage these conflicting guidelines can be difficult and most often arises in the context of contentious negotiations which lawyers engage in almost every day.

This program will address the basic ethical rules on the obligation of truth telling by lawyers and how to apply them to various situations with a focus on the special problems caused in negotiations.

Various topics covered will include subjects across industry sectors, including:

•            The Requirement of Truth with Specific Examples
•            The Role of Negotiations in Lawyer Work
•            Ethics in Negotiation Tactics
•            Lawyer Duties of Truthful Disclosure
•            Confidentiality Duty, Duty to Stay Current and Duty of Communications