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Doing the right thing in strange times

10 June 2020 / John Gould
Issue: 7890 / Categories: Opinion , Profession
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As we begin to adapt to the new normal, John Gould asks whether it’s time to adopt a new approach to ethics

It’s easy in prosperous times to do the right thing, but it’s a lot harder when the financial pressure is on. Character is barely tested when behaving properly is easy, but most people have a moral breaking point if the circumstances are extreme. No two people are likely to feel pressure in exactly the same way and intolerable pressure for one may be an exciting challenge for another.

The epidemic is changing the rules of behaviour in ways which are as yet uncertain. For law firms, the larger the economic threat, the more their values and beliefs will be tested. The foundations of well-worn expressions of people priorities may begin to crumble. For some who have enjoyed a benign prosperity, a new and unfamiliar balance may have to be struck between their money and their values. It may be that there is a gap between the lowest acceptable standards

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Muckle LLP—Rachael Chapman

Sports, education and charities practice welcomes senior associate

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Ellisons—Carla Jones

Partner and head of commercial litigation joins in Chelmsford

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Freeths—Louise Mahon

Firm strengthens Glasgow corporate practice with partner hire

NEWS
One in five in-house lawyers suffer ‘high’ or ‘severe’ work-related stress, according to a report by global legal body, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
The Legal Ombudsman’s (LeO’s) plea for a budget increase has been rejected by the Law Society and accepted only ‘with reluctance’ by conveyancers
Overcrowded prisons, mental health hospitals and immigration centres are failing to meet international and domestic human rights standards, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has warned
Two speedier and more streamlined qualification routes have been launched for probate and conveyancing professionals
Workplace stress was a contributing factor in almost one in eight cases before the employment tribunal last year, indicating its endemic grip on the UK workplace
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