The duty in context
Serve justice and improve the law profession
The lawyer must make legal services available, serve the interests of justice, and use lawful means to support the proper administration, reform and integrity of the legal system.
How the codes express this duty
E&W Solicitors SRA Principles & Code Principle 1 partial 241 cases
You act: 1.1 in a way that upholds the constitutional principle of the rule of law, and the proper administration of justice.
SRA Principles · 2023 · archived copy · official source ↗
E&W Barristers BSB Handbook CD1; oC2; oC7; rC28 partial 14 cases
oC7 The proper administration of justice, access to justice and the best interests of clients are served. gC88 ... a broader obligation not to withhold your services on grounds that are inherently inconsistent with your role in upholding access to justice and the rule of law ...
BSB Handbook · current · archived copy · official source ↗
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code 2026 P.1 partial
Attorneys-at-law shall, as officers of the Court, in compliance with the overriding duty to the Court, uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice in the course of their professional duties and the provision of legal services.
Cayman Islands Legal Services Code of Professional Conduct · 2026 · archived copy
AU Solicitors Solicitors' Conduct Rules no clear equivalent
AU Barristers Uniform Barristers Rules rr2(b),5(f) partial
to acknowledge a public obligation based on the paramount need for access to justice to act for any client in cases within their field of practice ... the provision of advocates for those who need legal representation is better secured if there is a Bar whose members: (i) must accept briefs to appear regardless of their personal beliefs.
Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules · 2015 (as amended 14 May 2025) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Solicitors Law Society Guide Ch1 — The function of the solicitor in society strong
In a society founded on respect for the rule of law, solicitors fulfil a special role in the administration of justice and as officers of the court... Solicitors must serve the interests of justice.
Solicitor's Guide to Professional Conduct (Law Society of Ireland) · 4th ed. (2022) · archived copy · official source ↗
IE Barristers Bar Code of Conduct Rule 6.4 partial
Barristers, when speaking or writing as permitted by paragraph 6.3 above, on a matter relating to practices of the Bar, the Courts or the administration of justice: (i) Shall be under a duty to ensure, as far as possible, that their statements are legally and factually correct;
Code of Conduct for the Bar of Ireland · 2024 · archived copy · official source ↗
JM Attorneys Canons of Professional Ethics Canon III; Canon III(j) strong
AN ATTORNEY OWES A DUTY TO THE PUBLIC TO MAKE HIS COUNSEL AVAILABLE AND A DUTY TO THE STATE TO MAINTAIN ITS CONSTITUTION AND ITS LAWS AND SHALL ASSIST IN IMPROVING THE LEGAL SYSTEM. ... (j) An Attorney shall endeavour by lawful means where the needs of society require to promote and encourage the modernization, simplification and reform of laws.
Legal Profession (Canons of Professional Ethics) Rules · 1978 (principal) · archived copy · official source ↗
JE Lawyers Law Society of Jersey Code P.1; R.1.4 partial
Members must, in compliance with their overriding duty to the court, uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice... Members in practice for less than 15 years must represent "veuves, pauvres et personnes indéfendues" in accordance with their obligations under their respective oaths.
Law Society of Jersey Code of Conduct · 1 January 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
ON Lawyers LSO Rules of Prof. Conduct r 5.6-1; r 4.1-1 strong
5.6-1 A lawyer shall encourage public respect for and try to improve the administration of justice. [4.1-1: A lawyer shall make legal services available to the public in an efficient and convenient way.]
Law Society of Ontario — Rules of Professional Conduct · current · archived copy · official source ↗
BC Lawyers BC Code r 5.6-1 strong
A lawyer must encourage public respect for and try to improve the administration of justice.
Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (BC Code) · 2017 · archived copy · official source ↗
NZ Lawyers Conduct & Client Care Rules r 2 / r 4 strong
A lawyer is obliged to uphold the rule of law and to facilitate the administration of justice. ... A lawyer as a professional person must be available to the public and must not, without good cause, refuse to accept instructions from any client or prospective client for services within the reserved areas of work that are within the lawyer's fields of practice.
Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 · SR 2008/214 · archived copy · official source ↗
SCO Solicitors LSS Standards of Conduct no clear equivalent
SG Lawyers Professional Conduct Rules 2015 r 4(e) strong 2 cases
A legal practitioner must facilitate the access of members of the public to justice.
Legal Profession (Professional Conduct) Rules 2015 · 2015 · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Solicitors Solicitors' Guide President's Foreword (non-binding) / Chief Justice's Foreword partial
we play an important role in society which distinguishes our profession from others - we help others realise and take advantage of their rights, promote the rule of law, enhance easy access to justice for all and participate actively in the fair administration of justice.
Hong Kong Solicitors' Guide to Professional Conduct (Volume 1) · current · archived copy · official source ↗
HK Barristers Bar Code of Conduct para 1.1 partial
Respect for and upholding the rule of law and for the freedom of the individual citizen depend to a large extent on the maintenance of high standards by all who practise in the Courts.
Code of Conduct of the Bar of the Hong Kong SAR · 2018 · archived copy · official source ↗
Cases dealing with this duty
255 decisions · link basis: found breached = a tribunal finding; rule cited = the mapped provision is cited in the decision; text match = high-precision text pattern
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Raymond John McKeeve
Code of Conduct 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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Vipul Kapoor
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Anthony Burns
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Alexander William Bruce Lee
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, SRA Principles 2011
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Nicholas Devlin
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019
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Matthew Thomas Parish
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Overseas Principles, SRA Principles 2019
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Gboyega Ajibola Okunniga
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Muhammad Azfar Ahmad
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Shafiq-ul Hassan
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Christopher Mark Hutchings
Code of Conduct 2011, Dishonesty, SRA Principles 2011
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Priyank Tanwar
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Timothy Eagle
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Joanne Elizabeth Tappin; Ria Lakhani
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Paul Simon Green
Breaches, Code of Conduct 2007, Dishonesty, SRA Principles 2011
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Nasar Hussain
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Paul Andrew Smith
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, SRA Principles 2019
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Kathryn Poole
Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Dishonesty, SRA Principles 2019
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Alison Haley Griffiths
Breaches, Client Money, Code of Conduct 2011, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Criminal Convictions, Dishonesty, SRA Principles 2011, SRA Principles 2019
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Muhammad Nazar Hayat
Breaches, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Yusuf Jamal Siddiqui
Breaches, Client Money, Code of Conduct for Solicitors, REL's & RFL's 2019, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2019, SRA Principles 2019
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Harry Francis Cottam
Dishonesty, Lack of Integrity, Solicitors Accounts Rules 2011, SRA Principles 2011
Duty classification does not yet cover every jurisdiction (Ontario, New Zealand and Singapore decisions are indexed but not yet duty-classified), so counts here understate those corpora.