Articles «Previous Next»

Presidential Ethics: Does a Law Degree Make a Difference?

Nancy B. Rapoport, University of Houston Law Center (moving to Boyd School of Law, Univ of Nevada, Las Vegas, in summer 2007

Abstract

Two of the nation's most controversial presidents, Nixon and Clinton, were both lawyers, and both of them had ethics-related problems while in office. This essay reviews whether any model ethics rules force lawyer-presidents to behave at a higher standard than non-lawyer-presidents; then it discusses the implications for legal education if we really do want lawyers to go "above and beyond" the norm of behavior.

Suggested Citation

Nancy B. Rapoport. "Presidential Ethics: Does a Law Degree Make a Difference?" Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics 14 (2001): 725-737.