Government Lawyering: Duties and Ethical Challenges of Government Lawyers

According to Adam Dodek, Dean of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (Common Law Section) and author of the foreword to this new publication, “Government Lawyering responds to a significant void in the literature about lawyers and government in Canada. [In stepping into that void, Elizabeth Sanderson] has produced a comprehensive, reflective, provocative and important book that will be of great interest to lawyers, academics, students, journalists and many informed Canadians.”

Extensive coverage and analysis
Government lawyers carry out distinct responsibilities on behalf of the historic office of the Chief Law Officer of the Crown, Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General. They carry a broader public law mandate focused on the interests of the Crown, which presents different ethical and professional responsibilities than that of a private practice lawyer acting on behalf of an individual.

Government Lawyering: Duties and Ethical Challenges of Government Lawyers is a definitive guide that delves into the ethical and legal practice issues that arise in connection with lawyering for the Crown, and in so doing, establishes the standard for government lawyering. The book begins by focusing on the range of duties imposed on government lawyers, including the typical professional and common law duties shared with lawyers in private practice, as well as the additional public law and public service duties unique to government lawyers. These additional public law duties prompt a number of ethical challenges which are explored through an examination of the principle of independence, the practical implications of being “guardian of the rule of law and public interest” and the dilemma of determining who is the client. The text also offers concrete examples of how the exercise of shared professional and public law and public service duties when representing a unique client leads to concrete distinctions in legal practice.

Useful content
This indispensable resource for new and seasoned government lawyers features:

• The practical and insightful guidance of author Elizabeth Sanderson who has more than three decades of government lawyering experience
• An analysis of the differences between public and private lawyers in the context of professional and ethical responsibilities, including the public law and public service duties
• A chapter dedicated to the key ethical challenges government lawyers face
• An explanation of the balance of public interests -- and the unique ethical duties of government lawyers – in the context of Canada, First Peoples and reconciliation
• A practical sample “Code” for government lawyering and guidance on giving the best legal advice possible

Must-have reference
Government Lawyering: Duties and Ethical Challenges of Government Lawyers will be a particularly useful acquisition for:

• Government lawyers who want to better understand their practice, role and ethical duties as government lawyers
• Law libraries and law associations that want to provide a valuable reference for their patrons