Advocacy not only serves private interests of the society, but, as part of the judicial system, also protects general societal interests. An important element of attorneys’ life and work are rules of attorneys’ professional ethics, encompassed in the Attorneys' Code of Conduct. Ethical norms limit attorneys’ actions to some extent, as they force them not only to think about what to do, but also about what would be fair to do.
In their work, attorneys enter different relationships that impose ethical duties to which attorneys are subject. In addition to ethical duties towards the client, attorneys' duties to their colleagues, the opposing parties and the entire society and the law are also important. A special importance is attributed to the relationship between attorneys and the court, which is also the focus of this master's thesis. Within this relationship, questions regarding the attorneys’ freedom of speech and the abuse of procedural rights arise. When communicating with or about the court, attorneys must always be respectful; however, there are certain differences in their expression if the communication takes form of written application, is established in the courtroom or is public. When it comes to the abuse of procedural rights, we have to address the question when the use of the law turns into its abuse even if attorneys work for the benefit of their client. When evaluating attorneys' actions, we have to be attentive not to address them only from one perspective, but to consider all relationships the attorneys are involved in and all ethical duties that stem from these relationships.
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