Equipping us to give uncompromising, independent advice during this period of rapid change is the charge. Clients want straight advice. They want advice that is free from conflicts. They don't want the lawyer to hold back. It has been the ability of the profession to give independent advice that has served our Republic and has served the clients so well, and it must not be compromised.
Uncompromised advice is of paramount importance to clients, both big and small.
The public has strongly-held views of what these concepts mean, they feel them in their gut, and they feel betrayed when they think their lawyers have crossed the line. These are the core values of the profession, as all participants in the debate agreed, and this is what the public expects from its lawyers. There is very little empirical data, but one study from Britain is revealing. The London publication, Commercial Lawyer , in January 1998 surveyed the top UK FTSE 350 companies. Responses came from the 96 heads of legal departments and 34 finance directors.