Prepare a visual scenario depicting an ethical issue related to legal work that you personally find morally repugnant
Your task is to prepare a visual scenario depicting an ethical issue related to legal work that you personally find morally repugnant. Your visual scenario may be presented as a:
- Comic strip;
- Animation (2d or 3d);
- Infographic;
- Storyboard for a scene in a film, including images; or
- YouTube video of no more than 3 minutes duration.
Your visual scenario should be no more than the equivalent of 1000 words (most likely far less). It will be challenging to produce, so make sure you start early.
In addition to your visual scenario you are also asked to prepare a 1000 word written summary of the legal and ethical issues involved. As part of your summary discuss:
- Why you find the instructions repugnant?
- How you will deal with the issue depicted in your scenario in meeting your professional conduct obligations?
- Critique the relevant Queensland professional rules (or lack thereof), case law and secondary literature concerning the ethical issue in your scenario.
- Outline a brief comparative analysis of how your scenario would be dealt with in California or New York, USA.
Examples of legal work you may find repugnant may include, but are in no way limited to:
- Formation of a corporation that promotes paedophilia.
- Evicting a tenant, who is in hospital due to Covid 19, unable to work and pay the rent.
- Creating a will that leaves all the assets to the old dog’s home rather than to impoverished close relatives who have cared for the client for a long period.
- Defending a person whom you believe, although not certain is guilty of manslaughter or murder.
- Conducting a civil litigation for a mining corporation against an environmental organisation trying to save the Great Barrier Reef.
- Defending a client who was forced out of necessity and to avoid starvation, killed and ate a fellow survivor of an accident at sea.
- Defending a potential serial killer, who in interview with you disclosed the location of other victims.
- A mortgagee exercising power of sale over a charities homeless shelter.
- Defending an ‘antivaxxer’ who knowingly while infected ran a Covid-19 party contrary to Public Health warnings.
- Defending a famous tennis player who lied on their visa application to enter Australia to play in a tournament and have had their visa cancelled.