Abstract
This article seeks to draw attention to certain ethical misconduct of litigators that is routinely accepted, tolerated, or ignored by the legal profession. Though there are other examples, the author focuses on conduct prohibited by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11. In particular, the author concentrates on that rule's so-called “safe harbor” provision, which he argues serves to insulate, and possibly encourage, illegitimate advocacy in the form of the assertion and maintenance of frivolous claims, defenses, or other contentions ironically, the very conduct that the rule was ostensibly intended to deter. Regardless of the frequency of this sort of misbehavior, the offending attorney can, as a practical matter, escape both court sanctions and professional discipline. In an effort to end the toleration of those who habitually engage in such an illegitimate fashion, the author proposes an enhancement of the ethical duty to report through the creation and maintenance of “litigation misconduct databases” that will monitor this and other unethical litigation behavior, which presently is de facto unregulated.
Repository Citation
Lonnie T. Brown, Jr.,
Ending Illegitimate Advocacy: Reinvigorating Rule 11 Through Enhancement of the Ethical Duty to Report
(2001),
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/fac_artchop/630
Originally uploaded at SSRN.