Legal Ethics as a Moral Idea: A Theory of Philosophical Legal Ethics Based on the Work of Lon Fuller

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dc.contributor.advisorHutchinson, Allan C.
dc.creatorTucsa, Emanuel Raul
dc.date.accessioned2015-01-26T14:30:10Z
dc.date.available2015-01-26T14:30:10Z
dc.date.copyright2014-06-16
dc.date.issued2015-01-26
dc.date.updated2015-01-26T14:30:10Z
dc.degree.disciplineLaw
dc.degree.levelMaster's
dc.degree.nameLLM - Master of Laws
dc.description.abstractThe legal philosophy of Lon Fuller, both in his idea of internal morality and in his theory of legal interpretation, is particularly useful for the purpose of making sense of the relationship between law and morality vis-à-vis the legal profession. Legal ethicists have recently developed accounts of legal ethics that are based on jurisprudential theories. These include the exclusive positivist theory of Tim Dare, the inclusive positivist approach of Bradley Wendel, and the substantive contextual judgment view of William Simon. Additionally, David Luban has proposed and evaluated an insightful interpretation of Fuller’s legal philosophy. In this paper, I will argue that the legal philosophy of Lon Fuller provides the best jurisprudential foundation for philosophical legal ethics and the norms of legal ethics. This includes the treatment of topics such as the relationship between law and morality and the duty of fidelity to law. In addition to arguing these points at a purely conceptual level I make the case that a Fullerian theory of lawyering is indispensable for making sense of a major recent case study in the field of legal ethics, the “torture memos” written for the Bush Administration by the US Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (the “OLC”). Using a Fullerian approach to legal ethics, I will argue that the inappropriateness of these memos goes beyond the failure of the OLC lawyers to interpret particular laws in good faith. Rather, taking a view of law and lawyering inspired by Fuller’s legal theory, I will argue that, of all of the reasons that one might criticize the OLC lawyers, it is of deepest importance to understand the ways in which the OLC lawyers acted contrary to the ideal of legality in drafting these memos. I hope to provide insight into the philosophical foundations of legal ethics, as well as a major recent case study for legal ethics and to highlight the connection between lawyering and the vindication of the ideal of legality.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10315/28204
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subjectLaw
dc.subjectPhilosophy
dc.subjectEthics
dc.subject.keywordsTortureen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLegal ethicsen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLegal ethicisten_US
dc.subject.keywordsProfessionalismen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLegal professionen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLegal philosophyen_US
dc.subject.keywordsProfessional ethicsen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLawyeringen_US
dc.subject.keywordsStandard conception of lawyeringen_US
dc.subject.keywordsStandard model of lawyeringen_US
dc.subject.keywordsPhilosophical legal ethicsen_US
dc.subject.keywordsEthicsen_US
dc.subject.keywordsEthicalen_US
dc.subject.keywordsMoralityen_US
dc.subject.keywordsMoralen_US
dc.subject.keywordsJurisprudenceen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLegal theoryen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLon Fulleren_US
dc.subject.keywordsFullerianen_US
dc.subject.keywordsNigel Simmondsen_US
dc.subject.keywordsMorality of lawen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLegalityen_US
dc.subject.keywordsRule of lawen_US
dc.subject.keywordsDesiderataen_US
dc.subject.keywordsFidelity to lawen_US
dc.subject.keywordsFidelityen_US
dc.subject.keywordsNatural lawen_US
dc.subject.keywordsNatural law theoryen_US
dc.subject.keywordsProcedural naturalismen_US
dc.subject.keywordsLegal positivismen_US
dc.subject.keywordsPositivismen_US
dc.subject.keywordsPositivisten_US
dc.subject.keywordsInclusive legal positivismen_US
dc.subject.keywordsExclusive legal positivismen_US
dc.subject.keywordsAuthority of lawen_US
dc.subject.keywordsSeparability thesisen_US
dc.subject.keywordsAllan Hutchinsonen_US
dc.subject.keywordsBradley Wendelen_US
dc.subject.keywordsTim Dareen_US
dc.subject.keywordsDavid Lubanen_US
dc.subject.keywordsOffice of Legal Counselen_US
dc.subject.keywordsOLCen_US
dc.subject.keywordsJohn Yooen_US
dc.subject.keywordsJay Bybeeen_US
dc.subject.keywordsTorture memosen_US
dc.titleLegal Ethics as a Moral Idea: A Theory of Philosophical Legal Ethics Based on the Work of Lon Fuller
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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