Lawyers' character, moral insight and ethical blindness

Abstract

In admission and disciplinary proceedings, directed by the overarching principle of securing the protection of the public, judges sometimes have to decide whether a person is morally qualified to practise law. Framing the discussion with an analysis of three of the Court of Appeal's decisions in 2001, this article addresses the judges' focus on the 'intrinsic character' of candidates for legal practice, and evidence that they use to measure it. Specifically, it considers the relevance of the moral judgments that candidates make about their own conduct during the investigations and proceedings, and attitudes that they show towards the proceedings themselves.