Vertybinių nuostatų ugdymo, rengiant teisininkus universitete, galimybės

LTEtika teisininko profesijoje atlieka esminį vaidmenį. Straipsnyje analizuojami klausimai, ar profesinė etika reiškia tik etikos normų, numatytų kodeksuose, laikymąsi, ar aukštoji mokykla iš principo gali išmokyti vertybinių nuostatų bei koks yra išsilavinimo ir moralinio asmens suvokimo išvystymo lygmens santykis pagal Lawrenso Kohlbergo moralinės raidos taksonomiją ir pan. Pirmojoje straipsnio dalyje analizuojama, ar profesinės teisininkų etikos formalizavimas padeda formuoti aukštesnius moralinius standartus praktinėje teisininkų veikloje. Antroji straipsnio dalis skirta teisinės etikos disciplinos svarbos studijų programoje pagrindimui ir tikslų, turinio bei dėstymo metodų paieškoms, trečiojoje straipsnio dalyje akcentuojama artes liberales išsilavinimo reikšmė asmens moralinio suvokimo vystymui. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Teisės studijos; Teisininko etika; Kohlbergo asmens moralinės raidos taksonomija; Artes liberale; Legal education; Legal ethics; Kohlberg’s taxonomy of moral development; Liberal arts education.

ENNowadays ethics plays a vital role in numerous professions. Due to social requirements and technical advances, changes in the accreditation rules in legal, economic, medical and engineering education have emerged in many countries, often requiring the inclusion of an ethics requirement in such professional programmes. In this work, the authors demonstrate that such changes are absolutely necessary in the legal profession in Lithuania. Specifically, the record low level of prestige of the judiciary and lawyers in the Lithuanian society and the fact that lawyers are often accused of legal nihilism, clannish behaviour, and protectionism, demand that legal ethics assumes a far greater role in Lithuanian legal education. It is necessary to stress that the topic of lawyers’ ethical violations and the consequences of such violations is discussed in the society in only in a fragmentary, and not transparent manner; moreover, the significance of ethics in the education and training of lawyers has not been properly evaluated either. Especially having in mind Lithuania’s Soviet heritage (during most of the Communist era there was almost no education on those issues), it becomes obvious that legal ethics must be continuously stressed in the legal profession’s education and development. The importance and relevance of this topic is primarily determined by the current evaluation of lawyers in Lithuania, which shows that lawyers do not fulfil the expectations of the society. This raises a question whether law graduates indeed acquire this system of ethical values as part of the process of obtaining the knowledge and skills that are necessary for a modern lawyer.While analysing the Lithuanian legal documents governing the requirements for legal studies, it has been noticed that a course in legal ethics or lawyer’s professional responsibility is not compulsory either in the qualification requirements for judges, or in the Ruling of the Constitutional Court of 20 February 2008 on legal education for those who want to assume the position of a judge according to the order of law. In the description of legal study programmes, courses on professional ethics are designated as an optional non-legal subject, which is quite different from the legal education systems of other countries, where this type of course is compulsory for future lawyers. Even if this course is taught at Lithuanian higher education establishments, it is limited to the analysis of cases and legal regulation. Insufficient attention to this issue obviously creates the erroneous impression that it is of secondary importance for a lawyer. It should be noted that legal ethical standards, the development of lawyers’ value systems and other problematic questions related to legal ethics have not attracted attention of the Lithuanian scholars either. Therefore, this is a question of the utmost importance for legal education and requires additional research. In global educational and other academic literature, much is being discussed about the methods of teaching ethics, and the place of ethical subjects in study programmes and assessment. It is well worth supporting the research on the development of lawyers’ value systems, in that the lack of such values may influence the evaluation of the practicing lawyers’ satisfaction with their job, self-confidence and belief in the importance of their profession. Obtaining social-ethical attitudes and perspectives helps future lawyers gain more trust in their professional identity and the correctness of their professional work. [...]. [From the publication]