Ethics is a cornerstone of the legal profession and as such, the Legal Ethics Class is often one of the densest classes a law student will ever take. For UWF’s Legal Ethics class, we were advised to create a portfolio of reflection papers of the various works we studied throughout the course. My portfolio from this class is important to me because it reflects my current perception and understanding of Ethics in the Legal Profession. This portfolio reflects the foundation of ethical thought I will take with me throughout my life. Beyond the legal profession, ethics are a key aspect of any role or position and the duty to act ethically is often the most essential aspect of a job. Through this artifact, I learned not only the origins of modern ethical thought but also learned of real situations where ethics were at play and how those situations shape my current understanding of modern law. Without this framework, I don’t see how I could be successful in the legal field.
Beasley v. Mifflin Complaint
The filing of documents while mundane is the basic foundation of a lawyer's job. This project from my first-ever Legal Studies class represents my first attempt at creating a filable legal document. In terms of measuring milestones for my degree, this represents my first as before this project, I had never so much as opened a legal textbook. In hindsight, this project shaped all other legal documents I created afterward.
Collective Bargaining Agreement
There are few documents in the legal profession that can be viewed as the fruits of one's labor. A finished contract is one of those documents. For my Contract and Business Entities class, we were divided into groups of four, with two members representing a Union and two representing a Company. Together, we were tasked with coming up with a collective bargaining agreement that all four members agreed upon. As the writer of the group, the entire contract was written by me, and for the negotiations, I represented the Union. Being the first demonstration of my negotiation skills, this document is a useful starting point for how I have grown as a litigator.
Short Research Paper (Nigeria)
Another key trait of any professional is their ability to critically analyze. In this paper, from my Comparative Criminal Justice, I demonstrate just that. Tasked with analyzing the Nigerian police system in the lens of our course material, I used research to demonstrate that the system is inherently inefficient and corrupt and that those flaws are due in large part to Nigeria's origins in British Imperialism.
