At my signal, unleash hell!

Fine, stirring words when uttered by Maximus Decimus Meridius as he prepares to annihilate the Germanic tribes, not so great uttered by a solicitor about to clash with another practitioner over matters ethical.

It is a fundamental tenet of the law that there are things on which reasonable minds might disagree, but when those things move into the realm of a practitioner’s professionalism or ethical behaviour, minds can cease to be reasonable quite quickly. Calling into question another practitioner’s behaviour in these areas can lead to harsh and hasty words and the doorstep of the Legal Services Commission.

Unfortunately, these issues are rarely cut and dried and there are always at least two sides to every story. Solicitors who find themselves at odds with a colleague over a particular shade of ethical grey should, before swords are drawn and hell unleashed, consider alternatives for early and (hopefully) painless resolution.

The Queensland Law Society’s Ethics committee can help practitioners in situations where the facts are undisputed, but the ethical implications of the actions undertaken are the subject of disagreement, reasonable or otherwise. The committee will render its view of the ethics of a given situation, without cost to members, and quickly enough to ensure that the matter in question can proceed without the need to commence hostilities. More information can be found by following this link.

Although they had an apparent predilection for war, even the Romans and their Germanic opponents knew well enough that disputes could be more profitably settled by the pen than the sword. Despite the liberties taken in the movie Gladiator, the war depicted at the start was settled by negotiated treaty and not by Maximus unlocking the doors to Hades

As all solicitors know, the best way to resolve a dispute is to never have it. When it comes to ethical issues and professional responsibility, the passion aroused and the pride involved may well prove hard to restrain. Having an independent arbiter weigh the scales of ethical consequence may well save time, money and reputational damage.  The Ethics Committee stands ready to resolve such conflicts before they start, and without the need for vengeance-through this client, or the next.