The three papers published hereafter were presented at an International Conference on the Ethics and Responsibilities of the Legal Profession held in Tel Aviv from 17–21 August 1980. As could be expected, the views expressed therein are not identical, but since they are all connected with the manner in which the nature and the function of the profession is conceived, it may be useful to outline the attitude of the law of Israel on the subject.

The Chamber of Advocates Law, enacted in 1961 to supersede the Advocates Ordinance, 1938, declares in sec. 54 that —

The statute apparently places at the same level the lawyer's duties to his client and to the court: the order in which it enumerates them does not indicate any intention of priority—any more than in the Decalogue the respect due to one's father can be said to take preecdence over that to one's mother. The same two fundamental duties are mentioned, in reverse order, in the Rules of Professional Ethics made in 1966 by the National Council of the Chamber of Advocates with the approval of the Minister of Justice.