How much room does ethics have in our legal system?

Some people assert that lawyers are unethical, on the premise that they lie. But what people fail to realize is that lawyers are passionately supporting their clients. Lawyers have an ethical duty to their clients, more so than to themselves. They must defend their clients at all costs.

The stereotype of lawyers being liars is a fallacy. There is good and bad in everything.

My question isn't limited to the province of attorneys- I am also curious about other aspects of our legal system.

Do you think that our laws originate from Roman law, or English law (laws here in the United States, that is)?

Sure, they support their client, which is their professional duty...

But when you support an obviously bad cause, prsumably for the sake of your bottom line, and lie, cheat, and resort to all manners of backhanded tactics to get a win, because doing the right thing and letting your client lose would mean less moolah for you, then you are no longer entitled to speak of ethics, and can righteously be regarded as a snake in an Armani suit.

This applies to any person who knowingly backs the wrong side (even if realisation that it is wrong comes belatedly), and chooses to do so because losing to the good side would have consequences on them.

The US system of law derives directly from british common law. The fact it strongly emphazises case law and jurisprudence over doctrine and interpretation of the statutes outside of court is proof that it is more influenced by the British than by the Roman system.

our laws originate from english laws
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A lawyer defends who pays him to defend. His "ethical duty" is defined by the payment of whoever hires him to believe him.
So much for ethics...

Ethics in a court room is between a rock and a hard place!

everyone is entitled to a fair trial, and because of that someone has to defend pedophiles. People who think it'd be much easier to forego the due process and put them right into jail with no trial, don't understand the value our constitution places on individual liberty. Because of this value, its an extraordinary exercise for the state to take away someone's liberty, and as the state has such power a fair trial is NEEDED to keep the state from abusing this power.

Hence, sometimes you have to defend a pedophile in court- whether you think he's guilty or not.

Still, it is very tough to defend someone like a child molester