Trust as a Moral Principle of Advocacy
The article analyzes the evolution of the concept of «trust» in ethical and socio-philosophical thought. It is emphasized that trust is correlated with such concepts as responsibility, integrity, honesty and is directly involved in the formation of a professional reputation. The communicative side of legal work is analyzed, which involves not only the exchange of information, but also the psychological interaction between people, which is directly supported by trust. We look into the role of trust in the realization of the professional activity of a lawyer at various social levels. We distinguish three types of trust: trust between the client and the lawyer, trust between lawyers, and trust between society and the institution of the advocacy as a whole. The freedom of choice of a lawyer by an interested person and the lawyer of the potential client is considered as a necessary condition for generating trust between the parties. The place of empathy in the relationship between a lawyer and a principal and the significance of the lawyer's keeping some professional distance for effective interaction between the parties are determined. The connection between the trust in a lawyer and his status as an assistant and a defense counsel is revealed. Special attention is paid to the relation of trust with the independence of a lawyer in choosing a legal position. The grounds on which the relationship between a lawyer and a principal are built are determined in the text of the Lawyers’ Code of Professional Ethics.