Self regulation and high ethical standards are considered the distinguishing and defining characteristics of the legal profession. Yet they are under attack from the state and the public. Why? Some argue that the legal profession's codes of conduct are a hotchpotch of rules without any clear ethical basis. For the first time in English and Welsh history,Boon and Levin systematically address these questions. The most important are as follows: Is self-regulation crucial to the survival of the legal profession? What fundamental philosophical principles govern ideas of professional conduct? Are the present codes regulating solicitors and barristers consistent with these principles? And, looking forward, are they appropriate when the legal profession faces radical social, political and economic change? These issues are of interest to everyone concerned with the dynamics of the justice system in England and Wales. Without an independent legal profession, is justice possible? Students, teachers and practitioners will find this the first comprehensive and interdisciplinary guide to and analysis of professional conduct and ethics.