⦿ MACKENZIE defines ethics as “the study of

what is right or good in human conduct” or the

“science of the ideal involved in human life”. So,
it is clear that ethics is the study which determines
rightness or wrongness of actions.
⦿ WHEELWRIGHT (1959) “ethics is that branch
of philosophy which is systematic study of
reflective choice, of the standards of right and
wrong by which it is to be guided, and of the
goods toward which it may ultimately be
directed.”
⦿ Ethics is simply the notion of knowing right from wrong. Basically it
means“ do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Ethics is
often used interchangeably with morality, but they are actually two
different concepts.
⦿ Ethics is not, however, the study of what people do or how people act. This
is descriptive, not normative. Ethics is normative--about what ought to be,
not what is so.
⦿ Ethics, sometimes known as philosophical ethics, ethical theory,
moral theory, and moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy
that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of
right and wrong conduct, often addressing disputes of moral diversity.
⦿ Ethics provides us with the tools to determine whether or not we should do
a certain action and the extent to which a past action should have been
done
⦿ It assists in availing legal representation to all in the
society.
⦿ It sets out the minimum duties of a legal practitioner
towards his client, the court and to his counter parts in the
profession
⦿ It spells out the minimum standards of practice.
⦿ Enhances public confidence in the legal profession
⦿ It builds loyalty between the advocate and his client
⦿ It gives the lawyer a guide line on how to act in cases of
conflicts of interest
⦿ It Assists in the protection of fundamental human
interests like life, liberty and property
⦿ Ethics aims at systematic knowledge. So, ethics is a science.
Every science is concerned with a particular sphere of
nature. As a science ethics has its own particular sphere; it
deals with certain judgments that we make about human
conduct. It deals with systematic explanation of rightness
or wrongness in the light of the highest Good of man.
⦿ Ethics is not an art. Ethics does not teach us an art as to how
to lead a moral life. Rather it helps us to justify rightness or
goodness which can lead to the supreme goal of human life
that is to realize the summum bonum of human life. So,
ethics is not a means to the highest ideal of human life.