Why barristers must defend the guilty without making personal value judgements about their clients
In short: Professor Jo Delahunty KC explores the complex ethical framework governing the legal profession. This lecture examines why barristers must resist the urge to judge their clients' culpability and how they maintain professional integrity while navigating the challenging demands of the courtroom.
Barristers operate under a formal Code of Ethics that dictates their interactions with clients, colleagues, and the court. Despite these guidelines, real-world practice presents dilemmas that are seldom simple. A central question facing the profession is how to reconcile the duty to provide a vigorous defense with the personal moral questions surrounding a client's guilt.
Professor Delahunty, who served as a Gresham College Professor of Law from 2016 to 2020, argues that a barrister’s commitment to a case must remain independent of their own moral assessments. Her lecture, recorded on October 4, 2018, emphasizes that the answer to whether a lawyer should allow a client's perceived culpability to weaken their defense must be an emphatic 'no'.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Ethics In and Out of the Court Room - Jo Delahunty
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/ideas-ethics-in-and-out-of-the-court-room-jo-delahunty.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Ethics · More in Ideas & Philosophy · Latest · A–Z · All topics
