Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1985
Publication Information
19 Inst. on Est. Plan. ¶1500-1503 (1985)
Abstract
The play “Harvey” teaches a valuable lesson on legal ethics through the character Elwood. Elwood teaches how being pleasant does more for a person than being smart. Legal ethics in estate planning is examined through three points of view: the reality of professional life in estate planning, the reality of client life in estate planning, and the reality of life in families that are affected by estate planning. In discussing each point of view, the Author uses the actions of Elwood to demonstrate and argue that professional ethics is not just a system for staying out of trouble, but is rather a system for being a good person, and for helping the client by seeing them as a gift rather than a problem.
Recommended Citation
Thomas L. Shaffer,
On Being Pleasant: Ethics in Estate Planning,
19 Inst. on Est. Plan. ¶1500-1503 (1985).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/law_faculty_scholarship/1270
