PROGRAM ON ETHICS IN LAW AND BUSINESS
Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
Call for Submissions April 2013
The Program on Ethics in Law and Business (PELB) at the University of Toronto invites submissions on topics, issues, ideas for papers and panel discussions for the 2013-14 academic year. As part of its mandate, the PELB will utilize the submissions to create opportunities for dialogue among lawyers, judges, academics, and business leaders on ethical conduct in the business law context.
We invite submissions that stimulate and develop an on-going dialogue on how we as lawyers should conduct ourselves in the business law setting. Key themes may include:
- Legal ethics in the business context: Does ethical behavior extend beyond mere legal compliance? Should lawyers be the moral conscience for their clients?
- Conflicts: What ethical challenges arise when lawyers are asked to play multiple roles, such as joining the board of a corporate client?
- Disclosure: What are the obligations of a lawyer when required to make full disclosure to a regulator?
- What law reforms are needed, including for example, whether changes are required to protect whistle-blowers.
- The issue of withdrawal: When and how should lawyers withdraw legal services from clients?
- Self-regulation of the legal profession: When if at all should self-regulatory discipline be replaced by public prosecution?
- Any other issues relating to ethical matters arising in a business law context.
The PELB also seeks to explore the connection between corporate law, securities regulation, taxation, bankruptcy and insolvency law on the one hand, and ethical conduct, on the other. We therefore welcome submissions on substantive law topics that warrant examination from an ethical not simply a legal standpoint (e.g. break fees, golden parachutes and lock-up agreements…). What are the relevant issues in these areas of law that impact both ethical and legal considerations?
Please send your submissions (of approximately 500 words) to Professor Anita Anand, Academic Director of the PELB, by email to: anita.anand@utoronto.ca prior to May 30, 2013. Submissions may be utilized to develop the agenda for the first PELB conference to be held on November 7, 2013. If you would like to write a paper, please feel free to indicate your willingness to do so. Thank you for your interest.
