RICO and International Legal Ethics
14 Pages Posted: 21 Sep 2014 Last revised: 21 Aug 2015
Date Written: September 16, 2014
Abstract
Despite the proliferation of international and transnational litigation in recent years, rules governing the ethical conduct of international lawyers remain practically non-existent. International lawyers, like any other counsel, are not immune to ethical lapses and have frequently engaged in fraudulent and unprofessional behavior. In this Essay, I discuss how national legal systems can fill these regulatory gaps. To illustrate the point, I consider a recent case in which a U.S. federal district court applied a federal law — the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) — to an American lawyer’s misconduct in a transnational case, Chevron v. Donziger.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation