Abstract
Lawyers swear an oath to abide by ethical standards, and in most countries, they have a comprehensive code of conduct. We argue that even before reaching the parameter of illegal conduct there is a reasonable number of situations where they do not comply with what could be seen as the optimal outcome for society in general, and that, their actions have a damaging effect on democracy.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
See scandals such as Anões do Orçamento, Rural Bank, Bancoop, Cases Erenice Guerra and Celso Daniel, Sanguessugas Scandal, Scheme PC Farias, Mensalão, Mensalão Tucano, Mensalinho, Operations Satiagraha, Saqueador, Castelo de Areia, and Irmandade, Máfia dos Vampiros etc.
- 3.
- 4.
This is explained more thoroughly in another chapter of this book. See Trombini, Maria.
- 5.
Brooks (2019), p. 241, quoting Abel, Richard, Lawyers on Trial: Understanding Ethical Misconduct, 2011, p. 456.
References
Aydiner, S. (2020). Money laundering, lawyers, and escrow: The case for voluntary due diligence. Law.com. New York Law Journal. 01 April 2020. https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/04/01/money-laundering-lawyers-and-escrow-the-case-for-voluntary-due-diligence.
Barbera, K. L. (2005). Using corporate lawyers to reduce executive corruption: A psycholegal perspective on mandated reporting (Order No. 3179449). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection. (305357183). https://search.proquest.com/docview/305357183?accountid=11359.
Barnett, N., & Alastair, S. (2018). Democracy in the Crosshairs: How Political Money Laundering Threatens the Democratic Process, Atlantic Council, Sept. http://bit.ly/2LQ8g6Z.
Brandeis, L. D. (1914). Business – A profession. Small, Maynard & CO.
Brooks, G. (2019). Criminal justice and corruption. State power, privatization and legitimacy. Palgrave Mcmillan.
Bullough, O. (2018). Moneyland: why thieves and crooks now rule the world and how to take it back (S. 298). London: Profile Books.
Caram e Silva, G. (2016). Lavagem de dinheiro e honorários advocatícios. Revista Pensar Direito, July, 7(2).
Clammer, J. (2012). Corruption, development, chaos and social disorganisation: Sociological reflections on corruption and its social basis. In Corruption: Expanding the Focus. ANU Press.
Coelho, G. (2018). Sérgio Cabral decide fazer delação premiada e advogado deixa o caso. Consultor Jurídico – Conjur, 23. December https://www.conjur.com.br/2018-dez-23/sergio-cabral-decide-delacao-premiada-advogado-deixa.
Coffee, J. C. (2003). The Attorney as Gatekeeper: An agenda for the SEC. Columbia Law Review, 103(5), 1293–1316.
Cooley, A., Heathershaw, J., & Sharman, J. C. (2018). The rise of Kleptocracy: Laundering cash, whitewashing reputations. Journal of Democracy, 29(1), 39–53.
De Mello, M. P., & Barroso, M. R. C. (2011). Profissão e corporação: limites éticos da atuação do advogado. Sociologias, Porto Alegre, 13(28), 346–369.
Di Nicola, A., & Zoffi, P. (2005). Italian lawyers and criminal clients. Risks and countermeasures. Crime Law, Social Change, 42, 201–225.
Djankov, S., La Porta, R., Lopez-De-Silanes, F., & Shleifer, A. (2002). The regulation of entry. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117(1), 37.
FATF. (2013). FATF Guidance on PEP Legislation. Politically Exposed Persons (Recommendations 12 and 22). June 2013.
Estadão. (2019). Partidos ampliam em 48% os gastos com advogados. Estado de Minas. Política. https://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/politica/2019/10/01/interna_politica,1089316/partidos-ampliaram-em-48-os-gastos-com-advogados.shtml.
Estellita, H. (2012). Lavagem de capitais, exercício da advocacia e risco. Consultor Jurídico – Conjur.com.br. 27 September 2012. https://www.conjur.com.br/2012-set-27/heloisa-estellita-lavagem-capitais-exercicio-advocacia-risco.
Falcão, M. (2018). Jota.info. Em ação com nova prisão de Joesley, PF mira escritórios de advocacia por nota fria. 11 November 2018. https://www.jota.info/justica/em-acao-com-nova-prisao-de-joesley-pf-mira-escritorios-de-advocacia-por-nota-fria-09112018.
Focus. (2020). Advogado investigado por crime terá sigilo profissional quebrado, diz PL. Focus.jor.br. 1st January 2020. https://www.focus.jor.br/advogado-investigado-por-crime-tera-sigilo-profissional-quebrado-diz-pl.
Garcia-Navarro, L. (2014). Brazil: The land of many lawyers and very slow justice. National Public Radio. 5 November 2014. https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/11/05/359830235/brazil-the-land-of-many-lawyers-and-very-slow-justice?t=1598899196827.
Gibson, K. (2003). Contrasting role morality and professional morality: Implications for practice. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 20(1), 17–29.
Global Witness. (2016). Lowering the bar. How American lawyers told us how to funnel suspect funds into the United States. January 2016.
Goodman, R., & Alex, P. (2019). All the President’s lawyers: A chart of misconduct and possible crimes revealed by Mueller Report. JustSecurity.org. 14 May 2019. https://www.justsecurity.org/64023/all-the-presidents-lawyers-a-chart-of-misconduct-and-possible-crimes-revealed-by-mueller-report/.
Greco, L. (2004) Cumplicidade através de ações neutras: a imputação objetiva na participação. Renovar.
Hadfield, G. K. (2007). Don’t forget the lawyers: The role of lawyers in promoting the rule of law in emerging market democracies. DePaul Law Review, 56(2), 401–422.
Hall, K., & Holmes, V. (2008). The power of rationalisation to influence lawyers’ decisions to act unethically. Legal Ethics, 11(2), 137–153.
Hodge, N. (2020). Will U.K. mandate that Big Four separate audit units make a difference? Compliance Week. 7 July 2020. https://www.complianceweek.com/accounting-and-auditing/will-uk-mandate-that-big-four-separate-audit-units-make-a-difference/29159.article.
Judah, B., & Nate, S. (2018). The enablers: How Western professionals import corruption and strengthen authoritarianism. Hudson Institute. September 2018.
Kazun, A., & Yakovlev, A. (2014). Who demands collective action in an imperfect institutional environment? A case study of the professional community of attorneys in Russia. International Centre for Study of Institutions and Development, Higher School of Economics (HSE), Working Paper Basic Research Programme 54, Sociology.
Kawakami, C. Y. (2015). Lavagem de dinheiro e Advocacia: Dos deveres jurídicos do advogado à cumplicidade mediante ações neutras. Dissertação (Mestrado) – Faculdade de Direito, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra.
Kelly, J. (2012). The genesis of corruption in criminal lawyers. Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, 25(3), 591–608.
Koechlin, L. (2013). Corruption as an empty signifier: politics and political order in Africa. Leiden: Brill.
Krishnan, J. K. (2020). International Lawyers as Disrupters of Corruption: Business and Human Rights in Africa’s Most Populous Country—Nigeria, Northwestern Journal of Human Rights, 18(2), 93–136.
Landim, R. (2019). Why not: Como os irmãos Joesley e Wesley, da JBS, transformaram um açougue em Goiás na maior empresa de carnes do mundo. 1ª Ed. Intrínseca. 441p.
Langevoort, D. C. (1993). Where were the lawyers? A behavioral inquiry into lawyers’ responsibility for clients’ fraud. Vanderbilt Law Review, 46(1), 75–120.
Levi, M., & Monty, R. (1999). Anti-corruption a signpost for transactional lawyers. Business Law International, 1999(1), 80–106.
Luban, D. (1988). Lawyers and justice: An ethical study. Princeton University Press.
Martinez, F. (2018). “Não conhecem advocacia”, diz defesa de Roberto Teixeira sobre MPF. Consultor Jurídico – Conjur. 21 October 2018. https://www.conjur.com.br/2018-out-31/defesa-roberto-teixeira-mpf-nao-conhece-advocacia.
Merton, R. (1967). On theoretical sociology. Free Press.
Middleton, D., & Levi, M. (2005). The role of solicitors in facilitating ‘organized crime’: situational crime opportunities and their regulation. Crime, Law and Social Change, 422(2–3), 123–161.
Montinola, G. R., & Jackman, R. W. (2002). Sources of corruption: A cross-country study. British Journal of Political Science, 32, 147–70.
Metrópoles. (2018). MPF denuncia presidente da OAB-DF por corrupção no caso do Grupo J&F. Metrópoles. 15th May 2018. https://www.metropoles.com/distrito-federal/politica-df/mpf-denuncia-presidente-da-oab-df-por-corrupcao-no-caso-da-jbs.
Michener, G., & Pereira, C. (2016). A Great Leap Forward for Democracy and the Rule of Law? Brazil’s Mensalão Trial. Journal of Latin American Studies. Cambridge University Press, 48(3), 477–507.
Nogueira, I. (2020). Advogados de Lula são alvos de operação sobre desvios no Sistema S; defensor ataca juiz. Folha de São Paulo, 9 September 2020. https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2020/09/escritorio-de-advogado-de-lula-e-alvo-de-operacao-sobre-influencia-no-judiciario.shtml?origin=folha.
Oliver, B. (2018). The Origins of Modern Kleptocracy, National Endowment for Democracy, Power 3.0 (blog), 9 January 2018. https://www.power3point0.org/2018/01/09/the-origins-of-modernkleptocracy.
Parker, C., & Evans, A. (2007). Inside lawyers’ ethics. Cambridge University Press.
Pertiwi, K. (2018). Contextualizing corruption: A cross-disciplinary approach to studying corruption in organizations. Administrative Sciences, 8, 12.
Rocha, M. (2017). Advogado preso na lava jato pagou R$ 27 milhões em mansão usada por Palocci para fazer lobby. Época. 5th June 2017. https://epoca.globo.com/politica/expresso/noticia/2017/06/advogado-preso-na-lava-jato-pagou-r-27-mi-em-mansao-usada-por-palocci-para-fazer-lobby.html.
Romano, R. T. (2015). O STJ e o dever de sigilo do advogado. Jus.com.br. May 2015. https://jus.com.br/artigos/38959/o-stj-e-o-dever-de-sigilo-profissional-do-advogado.
United Nations. (2018). Global Cost of Corruption at Least 5 Per Cent of World Gross Domestic Product, Secretary-General Tells Security Council, Citing World Economic Forum Data. Security Council 8346th Meeting (AM) SC/13493. 10 September 2018. https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sc13493.doc.htm.
United States Department of State. (2020). International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. Volume II: Money Laundering and Financial Crimes. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. March 2020.
Veja. (2019). PF deflagra segunda fase de operação que investiga fim da Castelo de Areia. https://veja.abril.com.br/politica/pf-deflagra-segunda-fase-de-operacao-que-investiga-fim-da-castelo-de-areia/
Vasconcellos, Jorge. (2020). Advogado de Flávio Bolsonaro, Fred Wassef, vai ser investigado pela OAB-SP. Correio Braziliense. June 19, 2020. https://www.em.com.br/app/noticia/politica/2020/06/19/interna_politica,1158108/advogado-fred-wassef-vai-ser-investigado-pela-oab-sp.shtml.
Wasserstrom, R. (1975). Lawyers as professionals: Some moral issues. Human Rights (American Bar Association), 5(1), 1–24.
Weintraub, E. L. (2019). Letter to Senate Judiciary on Illegal Foreign Contributions. 18th June 2019. Directed to Lindsey Graham, Chairman, and Dianne Feinstein, Ranking Member. United States Senate.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jorge, M.H. (2021). Lawyers as Enablers of Wrongdoing: Challenges Faced by Democracies Regarding Corruption and Money Laundering. In: Valarini, E., Pohlmann, M., Mitra, S. (eds) Political Corruption and Organizational Crime. Organization, Management and Crime - Organisation, Management und Kriminalität. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-34374-3_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-34374-3_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer VS, Wiesbaden
Print ISBN: 978-3-658-34373-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-658-34374-3
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)