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| 00:03 | |
| 00:08 | - In this video, we'll explore common ethical pressure points faced by law students. |
| 00:13 | Moments that can feel casual, harmless, or part of the hustle, but can cross the line into serious problems. |
| 00:21 | As you watch, look for three themes. |
| 00:24 | Unlicensed practice of law, blurring the line between legal education and legal advice, and honesty and commitment in employment. |
| 00:35 | Ask yourself, "What would I do in this situation? |
| 00:38 | What does the bar expect me to do?" |
| 00:41 | Let's begin with a law student's phone call from family members who just need a little lawyer help. |
| 00:57 | - Hey, Uncle Jack, how are you? |
| 00:59 | - Hi, Jill. It's Uncle Jack, how are you doing? |
| 01:02 | - I'm good. Just keeping busy. |
| 01:04 | - [Jack] Yeah, I'm sure. Is law school hard? |
| 01:06 | Your mother told me you had a good semester. |
| 01:09 | - I did pretty well, but you know, it's, it is hard. |
| 01:12 | It's, it's definitely hard. |
| 01:13 | - That's great. That's actually why I'm calling. |
| 01:16 | - [Jill] Oh? |
| 01:17 | - Your mother said you took a class on property law? |
| 01:20 | - Yeah, last semester. I actually did pretty well. |
| 01:24 | - Well, that's good, you see, |
| 01:25 | I have this little problem with my new neighbor. |
| 01:27 | I thought you could help me. |
| 01:28 | - Well... |
| 01:29 | - My stupid new neighbor, they're saying my tree is growing on their property and tearing it up. |
| 01:35 | They want me to remove it. |
| 01:36 | It's a beautiful hundred-year-old oak, |
| 01:37 | I'm not gonna chop that up. |
| 01:38 | You know how expensive it is to chop down a tree? |
| 01:41 | They just won't listen, and now they're talking about suing me. |
| 01:43 | Can you help? |
| 01:45 | - My help? |
| 01:47 | - You know, I could use your help, you know, lawyer help. |
| 01:50 | Well- |
| 01:51 | - I'm not a lawyer yet, Uncle Jack. |
| 01:54 | - Oh, you're almost a lawyer, and you know about these things. |
| 01:57 | You just said you took a property law class. |
| 01:59 | I just need you to, you know, maybe write a letter, a lawyer letter to get my neighbors to back off. |
| 02:06 | - Uncle Jack, I, I can't do that. |
| 02:08 | I'm not a lawyer yet. |
| 02:10 | - Well, I'm not asking you to go to court or anything. |
| 02:12 | I just need you to use some fancy lawyer words to fix this and make my problem go away. |
| 02:17 | - I can't do that. It's, it's not right. |
| 02:19 | I can't say I'm a lawyer if I'm not a lawyer. |
| 02:22 | - You don't have to exactly say that you're a lawyer. |
| 02:25 | You can just say you're helping me or representing my cause or something like that. |
| 02:29 | I really need you. |
| 02:30 | I didn't want to mention it, but, you know, I'm helping you with your tuition. |
| 02:36 | We've never had a lawyer in the family before, and we're all contributing so we can have one. |
| 02:42 | - Uncle Jack, I, I really appreciate your contribution, but I'm not a lawyer yet. |
| 02:47 | And they told us in law school that we can't represent ourselves out to be lawyers if we're not lawyers. |
| 02:53 | It would be really bad. |
| 02:56 | - Yeah, but I'm sure this isn't what they mean. |
| 02:58 | Family helps family. |
| 03:00 | You can do this for me, I know you can. |
| 03:08 | - In that conversation, Jill did something important. |
| 03:11 | She said no. |
| 03:13 | Even with emotional pressure, even with financial leverage, she recognized that almost a lawyer is not a lawyer. |
| 03:23 | That she cannot hold herself out as counsel, and that helping family in the wrong way can be unlicensed practice of law. |
| 03:32 | Now we shift to a similar but more subtle situation. |
| 03:35 | Jill seeking help from someone who is a lawyer, her adjunct professor. |
| 03:41 | In the next scene, watch how a sincere question about class materials drifts into a request for personal legal advice, and how the professor responds when Jill tries to turn a teacher into her private lawyer. |
| 03:56 | Consider, where is the line between education and representation? |
| 04:02 | - Hey, Professor Chin, that was a great class on copyright. |
| 04:06 | It's wonderful learning from someone who actually practices in the field. |
| 04:10 | But I, I did have a few questions about what we discussed in class. |
| 04:14 | - Oh, thank you. How, how can I help you? |
| 04:16 | - Well, you're talking about the copyright process and how that whole thing works. |
| 04:21 | That's what you do, right, at your firm? |
| 04:23 | - Yes, that's, that's what I do. |
| 04:24 | Do you have a question about what we taught in class today? |
| 04:26 | - My question is whether, if you have a work that you want to copyright, but you worked on it with other people, what do you do? |
| 04:36 | - Well, it sounds like you're talking about joint authorship. |
| 04:38 | And even with joint authorship, you could still go through the copyright registration process. |
| 04:42 | - I get that, but what if you don't want to do that? |
| 04:48 | - I... I'm not following you. |
| 04:50 | - Okay, so, my real question is, what if you came up with an idea with some friends, but at the end, you really realize it was your idea? |
| 05:00 | How do you get that process copywritten? |
| 05:05 | - Okay, um... |
| 05:06 | - So you have this thing, right? |
| 05:08 | It's, it's like it was your main thing. |
| 05:11 | It was all you, you did all the work. |
| 05:13 | How do you get that copywritten? |
| 05:15 | - Well, that's not really what we covered in class today, um, can you be a little more specific? |
| 05:22 | - So how could you do the registration so that it would show that it was only your work? |
| 05:28 | - So you're asking about claiming sole ownership over a project through copyright? |
| 05:33 | - Well, okay. |
| 05:34 | In undergrad, I did a lot of art. |
| 05:37 | I did some comic book drawings, and I came up with some really cool stuff. |
| 05:42 | So how do I get sole ownership of my stuff? |
| 05:47 | - Wait, wait. |
| 05:48 | This is not a, this is a special scenario. |
| 05:50 | This is a personal issue for you. |
| 05:52 | - You're a lawyer. I mean, this is what you do. |
| 05:55 | - Yes, I, I am a lawyer, but I'm not your lawyer. |
| 05:58 | I can't help you with this. |
| 05:59 | - But can't you just give me a hypothetical answer to a hypothetical problem? |
| 06:05 | - I understand this, but I, I can't help you. |
| 06:07 | Even if it was a hypothetical question or problem, |
| 06:09 | I, I just can't. |
| 06:10 | - But you're supposed to be here to help us, your students. |
| 06:15 | - I'm sorry, Jill. |
| 06:15 | I, I can't. It's inappropriate. |
| 06:17 | Hope you have a nice day. |
| 06:24 | - We've now seen pressure from both sides. |
| 06:26 | A student urged to act like a lawyer before she's licensed, and a professor pushed to act like a personal attorney for a student client he never agreed to represent. |
| 06:39 | In each case, there's a temptation to just help, to treat ethics as flexible when the stakes feel personal. |
| 06:49 | Our final scene moves to another common flashpoint, summer employment. |
| 06:55 | As you watch Jill juggle timelines, pressure, and competing offers, focus on honesty, commitments, and professionalism. |
| 07:04 | What do you owe an employer once you say yes? |
| 07:09 | How you handle these decisions as a student foreshadows how you'll handle clients, courts, and conflicts later. |
| 07:28 | - Hello, this is Jill. |
| 07:30 | - Hello, Jill, this is Maria from CNK Law Firm. |
| 07:33 | We really enjoyed meeting you a few weeks back and we'd like to offer you a position for the summer. |
| 07:38 | - Wow, um, that's fantastic. |
| 07:41 | Can you tell me more? |
| 07:43 | - Well, I know we discussed a full-time position, but at this time we only have a part-time position available. |
| 07:49 | I know you told us that your semester ends on Monday and so we would need you to start on Tuesday. |
| 07:55 | - Oh, um, that's really soon. |
| 07:58 | Uh, today's Friday, so that's only a few days away. |
| 08:03 | - I understand, but that's when we're starting, um, our summer people in the office. |
| 08:08 | And so we want to make it easier on ourselves and training everyone together. |
| 08:13 | - What does part-time mean? |
| 08:16 | - I think we can give you about 20 hours a week. |
| 08:20 | - Is this an hourly pay? |
| 08:21 | - Yes, hourly pay. And it would be $20 per hour. |
| 08:25 | - Okay, and how would I know my exact schedule? |
| 08:29 | - Well, this is something we can discuss further on Tuesday when you come in. |
| 08:33 | Um, are we seeing you then? |
| 08:37 | - Uh, I'm not sure. |
| 08:40 | Um, can I please have some time to think about it? |
| 08:42 | - No, we need an answer today, unfortunately. |
| 08:45 | - Today? |
| 08:47 | - Yes. |
| 08:48 | Um, we have others who might want to have the position, but don't get me wrong, we do want you to have the position. |
| 08:54 | And like I said, there's a lot of paperwork that needs to be done. |
| 08:57 | Um, that's why you would need to start on Tuesday. |
| 09:01 | - Oh, well, um, can I call you back later today? |
| 09:05 | - It's already 4:00 PM right now and the department that handles the paperwork, they're leaving soon, and they're not gonna be here much longer. |
| 09:13 | - Well, I, I really did like your firm, and I really do need a job, so, |
| 09:19 | I accept. |
| 09:21 | - Across these scenarios, a pattern emerges. |
| 09:24 | Long before bar admission, your choices are building or weakening your professional reputation. |
| 09:32 | You saw a student asked to play lawyer for family, and refuse, correctly recognizing the risks of unlicensed practice. |
| 09:41 | You saw a professor draw a clear line when a student tried to convert classroom access into free individual representation. |
| 09:50 | And you saw a student confronted with a high pressure job decision where professionalism meant slowing down and asking questions. |
| 09:59 | Whether you are a student, a professor, or a potential employer, the core expectations stay the same. |
| 10:06 | Be honest about your role. |
| 10:08 | Be clear about who you represent. |
| 10:11 | Don't mislead others about your status and don't sacrifice integrity for convenience, money, or flattery. |
| 10:19 | The lesson is straightforward. |
| 10:21 | You don't become a professional after you're sworn in. |
| 10:24 | You're rehearsing for it now. |
| 10:26 | Treat your words, your promises, and your boundaries as if your license depends on them, because one day, it will. |
