MV505K Legal Ethics

Faculty of Law
Autumn 2021
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. JUDr. Martin Hapla, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. JUDr. Martin Hapla, Ph.D.
Department of Legal Theory – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Tereza Buchalová
Supplier department: Department of Legal Theory – Faculty of Law
Timetable
Mon 20. 9. to Fri 17. 12. each even Monday 18:00–19:40 025
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
MV505K/01: Mon 27. 9. to Fri 17. 12. each odd Wednesday 18:00–19:40 126, M. Hapla
MV505K/02: Mon 27. 9. to Fri 17. 12. each odd Monday 18:00–19:40 025, M. Hapla
MV505K/03: Mon 27. 9. to Fri 17. 12. each even Wednesday 18:00–19:40 126, M. Hapla
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 60 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 11/60, only registered: 2/60
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
  • Law (programme PrF, PR_)
  • Law (programme PrF, M-PPV)
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to acquaint students with basic theories of normative jurisprudence and their practical applications. When we think about law from the point of view of de lege ferenda, or we ask questions such as what law is morally right, why we should obey it, we have a wide space for the application of various ethical theories. Within the course, students are introduced to the most important of them through the analysis of practical examples. The course complements most of the legal disciplines focused on the description of valid law by adding their moral background and clarifies to students the axiological basis of law.
Learning outcomes
Student will be able to: - explain the principles of the main theories of normative jurisprudence; - identify the problematic situations encountered by lawyers in their practice; - apply theoretical knowledge in solving particular situations.
Syllabus
  • Lectures: 1) Introduction to normative jurisprudence: When does law meet morality?; 2) Act correctly I: Consequentialism; 3) Act correctly II: Deontological ethics and contractalism; 4) Ethics of virtue and ethics of natural law: What is their significance for the legal professions?; 5) Take others seriously: moral subjectivity and human rights; 6) Human dignity and the problem of paternalism. Seminars: 1) Why should we obey the law? Judges and the problem of unjust law; 2) Ethics of contracts: Why and when to abide by contracts?; 3) Ethics of criminal law: Why and how to punish?; 4) Legal moralism: Should law enforce morality? 5) Ethics of disciplinary liability: Why and when to punish lawyers for disciplinary misconduct? Are lawyers an immoral profession?; 6) Debate over colloquial work.
Literature
    required literature
  • SOBEK, Tomáš a kol. Právní etika. Praha: Leges, 2019. ISBN 978-80-7502-333-9.
    recommended literature
  • HAPLA, Martin. Lidská práva bez metafyziky: Legitimita v (post)moderní době (Human Rights without Metaphysics: Legitimacy in (Post)modern Age). 1st ed. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, Právnická fakulta, 2016, 156 pp. Spisy Právnické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity , řada teoretická, Edice Scientia, svazek č. 556. ISBN 978-80-210-8186-4. info
  • SHAFER-LANDAU, Russ. The fundamentals of ethics. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012, xix, 338. ISBN 9780199773558. info
  • PFORDTEN, Dietmar v. d. Rechtsethik. 2., überarbeitete Auflage. München: Verlag C.H. Beck, 2011, viii, 603. ISBN 9783406591471. info
Teaching methods
Lectures and seminars with practical examples.
Assessment methods
Writing of a colloquial essay and its defense.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2021, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/law/autumn2021/MV505K