Ethics and Professional Practice for Paralegals, 5th Edition guides readers through principles of professional conduct, legal obligations, and ethical issues.

Providing students with the practical knowledge necessary for their future careers, this text presents the Paralegal Rules of Conduct and the Paralegal Professional Conduct Guidelines along with various key topics, including the paralegal–client relationship, the purpose of retainers, the Paralegal Standing Committee, accreditation requirements, and the controversy around advertising practices.

Readers will be given the opportunity to exercise their understanding about professional issues and ethical practice in every chapter; through new Planning for Practice fact situations, readers will closely follow Rajni Peacock’s journey from paralegal licensing to her decision to start her own firm. This edition also reflects current legislation and addresses new practice opportunities for paralegals, including the Law Society of Ontario–approved Family Legal Services Review Action Plan and Bill C-75.

• New Planning for Practice fact situations at the beginning of each chapter
• New end-of-chapter Application Questions scenarios
• Every rule or subrule of the Rules of Paralegal Conduct, along with the text of the applicable guidelines
• Precedents for a retainer agreement, engagement letter, and various other documents
• Charts outlining and explaining various rules and concepts

Chapter 1: Paralegal Governance in Ontario
Chapter 2: Professionalism
Chapter 3: The Client
Chapter 4: Duty to Clients
Chapter 5: Advocacy
Chapter 6: Duty to Licensees and Others
Chapter 7: Practice Management
Appendix A: Paralegal Rules of Conduct
Appendix B: Paralegal Professional Conduct Guidelines

Chapter 2: Professionalism

Convocation February 27, 2020
Changes to By-law 4, Rule 3.04(18-22), and Guideline 9

Convocation approved amendments to By-Law 4, the Paralegal Rules of Conduct and Guideline 9. Read more about the changes in the Law Society Gazette news release “Paralegal rules amended re: conflict of interest standard for pro bono and short-term legal services” here.

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July 1, 2021 Contingency Fee Update

On July 1, 2021, there were changes to the Solicitors Act regarding contingency fees. The changes have resulted in changes to the Paralegal Rules of Conduct and therefore the contingency fees section on pages 247 to 249 of the textbook is no longer relevant. Please replace that section with the note below, which explains the changes.

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Instructor Resources

• Instructor's Guide
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Test Bank

For free instructor resources, please contact instructor support.