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2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

The History of and Problems in the Study of Legal ethics…from the Viewpoint of Legal Ethics Education in the Legal Personnel Training System

Research Project

Project/Area Number 14520006
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Fundamental law
Research InstitutionNagoya University

Principal Investigator

MORIGIWA Yasutomo  Nagoya University, Graduate School of Law, Professor, 大学院・法学研究科, 教授 (40107488)

Project Period (FY) 2002 – 2004
Keywordslegal ethics / law school / judicial ethics / res publica / basic code of lawyers' professional conduct / just interpretation of law / gaps in law / role of the judiciary
Research Abstract

The purpose of this study is to found the theoretical bases of "Legal Ethics" as a subject taught in the newly established law school in Japan. The three year study focused on making clear what sort of ethos of its personnel was involved in running a respectful legal system. The main features of legal ethics education in the UK, France, Germany, the US, China as well as that of Japan were surveyed from this viewpoint. The framework for analysis put the French system, which emphasizes the legislature as the supreme and sole law making power in a legal system, on one extreme. On the other extreme is the American system, where the judiciary or the common law court is independent from the legislature, the rule of precedent and the power of judicial review are respected, as is the courts power to find the law. The other countries which were surveyed are situated somewhere in-between the two poles. The rules and principles of legal ethics are regarded as software which provides guidelines fo … More r running a good legal system manned by a trustworthy and respected judiciary.
The results from the surveys and analyses were used both in theory building and in practice. As for practical matters, based upon the findings, legal ethics was placed in the latter half of the 2 or 3 year curriculum of the Nagoya school of law. Secondly, as for the content of legal ethics education, with active participation from the members of the legal ethics study group of the Nagoya area that I preside, a textbook was edited and is now in press. Thirdly, concerning methods of teaching, again along with my study group and co-sponsorship by my home institution and the Japan Law Foundation, a symposium was held in the last year of the study providing a venue for the dissemination of our findings and discussion of the regulatory ideals of and problems in legal ethics education, as well as a proposal to found a national network for teachers of the subject.
As for theory ; based upon the view that the social function of the legal profession is to provide the public goods of legal security and service, a systematic situating of the main issues in lawyers' ethics was provided and the textbook was composed on this platform. Special emphasis was put on judicial ethics, which is very important in French and other civil law traditions. In Dec.2004, some of the findings in this field were presented to an enthusiastic audience at the Judges Academy in Trier, Germany. The emphasis of my talk w as on the point of having a good judicial ethics : it is to provide the public with just interpretations of the law. To support the thesis, I went into the presupposed theory of legal interpretation that claimed that there are no gaps in law, only in statutes. I am working to disseminate such findings within Japan. Less

  • Research Products

    (8 results)

All 2005

All Journal Article (6 results) Book (2 results)

  • [Journal Article] 21世紀における企業の法務と倫理2005

    • Author(s)
      森際 康友
    • Journal Title

      NBL 800

      Pages: 4

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 法曹倫理教育のシンポジウムを終えて2005

    • Author(s)
      森際 康友
    • Journal Title

      NBL 802

      Pages: 4-5

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 法曹倫理教育のシンポジウムを終えて2005

    • Author(s)
      森際 康友
    • Journal Title

      JLFニューズ 25

      Pages: 10-11

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Law and Ethics of Firms in the 21^<st> Century2005

    • Author(s)
      MORIGIWA, Yasutomo
    • Journal Title

      NBL 800

      Pages: 4

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] On the Symposium in Legal Ethics Education2005

    • Author(s)
      MORIGIWA, Yasutomo
    • Journal Title

      NBL 802

      Pages: 4-5

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] On the Symposium in Legal Ethics Education2005

    • Author(s)
      MORIGIWA, Yasutomo
    • Journal Title

      JLF News 25

      Pages: 10-11

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Book] 法曹の倫理2005

    • Author(s)
      森際 康友 他
    • Total Pages
      370
    • Publisher
      名古屋大学出版会
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Book] The Ethics of the Legal Profession and Officials2005

    • Author(s)
      MORIGIWA, Yasutomo(ed.)
    • Total Pages
      370
    • Publisher
      Nagoya University Press
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より

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Published: 2006-07-11  

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