Professional Ethics in Criminal Trials: A View of Defense Counsel's Responsibility

Authors

David G. Bress, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia

Abstract

More than thirty years ago, in Berger v. United States, Mr. Justice Sutherland described the heavy and multiple responsibility assumed by a prosecutor. The United States Attorney, he asserted, not only must be an advocate for the prosecution, but also must ensure that justice prevails. The Justice stated: "It is as much his duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction as it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one."

Recommended Citation

David G. Bress, Professional Ethics in Criminal Trials: A View of Defense Counsel's Responsibility, 64 Mich. L. Rev. 1493 (1966).
Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mlr/vol64/iss8/4