Headshot of Richard Zitrin

Richard Zitrin

Emeritus Lecturer

Bio

Professor Richard Zitrin is a graduate of Oberlin College, A.B. (1968), and New York University School of Law, J.D. (1974). He has taught Legal Ethics since 1977—since 1994 at UC Law SF—and has authored three books and dozens of articles in the field, including a current bimonthly column, The Moral Compass, for American Law Media. He founded and was the first Director of USF’s Center for Applied Legal Ethics. He was coordinator of USF’s ethics curriculum and also taught Trial Practice. He has taught ethics orientations around the country, including for several years at Fordham.

In 2019, Professor Zitrin was awarded California Bar’s statewide Harry Sondheim Award for outstanding long-term contribution to the advancement of attorney professional standards in California. He has also chaired the California State Bar’s ethics committee; been awarded the ABA’s Pro Bono Publico Award in 2006; continually remained in private practice, trying 50 cases to verdict; become a CA certified specialist in legal malpractice law in 2010; and been technical advisor to the film Class Action (snagging a SAG card and a 13-word role opposite Gene Hackman).

Richard Zitrin was born in Brooklyn and raised in New York. He taught school and spent two years as a political operative before going on to law school and a part-time NYC cab-driving gig. He has lived in San Francisco since 1973, where he completed his last year of law school while working on a multiple-count murder case and practicing criminal law under the then-liberal student practice rules.

In his free time, Professor Zitrin can be found playing saxophone or full-court basketball, at the ballpark or in his Italian restaurant, or watching movies with his wife or three adult children, all of whom live in the Bay Area.

Selected Scholarship

Books
Journal Articles
  • Regulating the Behavior of Lawyers in Mass Individual Representations: A Call for Reform, 3 St. Mary’s J. Legal Malpractice & Ethics 86 (2013). FULLTEXT
  • The Judicial Function: Justice Between the Parties, or a Broader Public Interest?, 32 Hofstra L. Rev. 1565 (2004). FULLTEXT
  • The Laudable South Carolina Court Rules Must be Broadened, 55 S.C. L. Rev. 883 (2004). FULLTEXT
  • Five Who Got It Right, 13 Widener L.J. 209 (2003). FULLTEXT
  • Preface (Symposium: Teaching Values in Law School), 36 U.S.F. L. Rev. 591 (2002). FULLTEXT
  • The Case Against Secret Settlements (Or, What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You), 2 J. Inst. Stud. Legal Ethics 115 (1999). FULLTEXT
Newspaper & Magazine Articles
  • Competence and (Introducing) Diligence, [L.A. and S.F] Daily Journal, Sept. 11, 2017. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Persky’s Move: A Reaction to the Reactionary, The Recorder, Sept. 1, 2016. URL
  • The Moral Compass: The State Bar’s Disciplinary System is Broken, The Recorder, May 12, 2016. URL
  • Monroe Freedman Was Right about Atticus Finch, The Recorder, Jul. 22, 2015. URL
  • The Moral Compass: State Bar Initiates Ethics Rewrite 2.0, The Recorder, Feb 16, 2015. URL
  • Letter: A Lethal Culture of Secrecy at G.M., N.Y. Times, Jun. 11, 2014. URL
  • The Moral Compass: ‘Playbook’ Theory of Disqualification Isn’t New, The Recorder, Mar. 28, 2014. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Avvo Has Your Number. But What Does It Mean?, The Recorder, Jan. 3, 2014. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Lack of Transparency Marks Recent State Bar Controversies, The Recorder, Dec. 8, 2014. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Secret Settlements Fueled GM’s Latest Ethical Inferno, The Recorder, June 13, 2014. URL
  • The Moral Compass: State Supreme Court Resets Ethics Rewrite, The Recorder, Oct. 10, 2014. URL
  • The Moral Compass: The Ethical Obligations Your Avvo Profile Presents, The Recorder, Jan. 17, 2014. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Court Struggles to Regulate Attorney Blogging, Law.com and The Recorder, May 17, 2013. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Guard Your Clients’ Public Secrets, Law.com and The Recorder, June 7, 2013. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Law Firm Secrecy at Client’s Expense, Law.com and The Recorder, July 21, 2013. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Narrative Form Is an Untenable Solution in Criminal Cases, Law.com and The Recorder, Mar. 29, 2013. URL
  • The Moral Compass: When Can a Lawyer Break Privilege?, Law.com and The Recorder, Mar. 1, 2013. URL
  • Chevron Fire: Legal Industry Fares Poorly, S.F. Chron., Aug. 20, 2012. URL
  • Full Disclosure Is Key in Mass-Plaintiff Cases, The Recorder, Dec. 14, 2012. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Don’t Just Talk About Trust—Earn It, The Recorder, Mar. 12, 2012, at 6. URL
  • The Moral Compass: How to Handle Mass Tort Conflicts, The Recorder, Dec. 7, 2012. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Lack of Court Funding Further Hampers Access, The Recorder, Apr. 16, 2012, at 7. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Reducing Class Size Is the Right Thing to Do, The Recorder, June 11, 2012, at 6. URL
  • The Moral Compass: State Bar Disaster Team Overreaches, The Recorder, Aug. 20, 2012, at 6. URL
  • The Moral Compass: When a Lawyer Needs a Lawyer, The Recorder, May 14, 2012, at 6. URL
  • At Issue: Should Lawyers Be Required to Perform Free Work for the Poor?, CQ Researcher, Oct. 7, 2011, at 845. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Too Many Lawyers? Too Many Law Schools, Law.com and The Recorder, Aug. 8, 2011, at 6. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Bar Discipline, Part 1: How Bad? Really Bad, The recorder, Sept. 19, 2011, at 10. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Bar Discipline, Part 2: Sometimes Too Aggressive, The Recorder, Oct. 3, 2011, at 6. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Bar Discipline, Part 3: Solutions Difficult in Bar Discipline Problems, The Recorder, Nov. 21, 2011, at 6. URL
  • The State Bar Falls Short in Protecting the Public, The Recorder, Nov. 29, 2010, at 7. URL
  • Secrecy’s Dangerous Side Effects, L.A. Times, Feb. 8, 2007. URL
  • A Challenge to San Francisco Law Firms, The Recorder, Sept. 13, 2002. URL
  • The Fault Lies in the Ethics Rules, Nat’l L.J., July 6, 2001. URL
  • Time to End the Secrecy, S.F. Chron., Aug. 21, 2001. URL
  • Why Lawyers Keep Secrets About Public Harm, Prof. Law., Summer, 2001, at 1. URL
  • After the Whistle Blows, The Recorder, Dec. 23, 2000. URL
  • It Is Time to Question How Our Legal System Can Afford to Allow Secret Settlements, Voir Dire, Spring, 2000, at 12 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • Overcoming Secrecy with Judicial Power, Trial, Nov., 2000, at 74. URL
  • The Moral Compass: A Fistful of Fees, ALM dailies, Jan. 10, 2000 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: A Tale of Two Faxes, ALM dailies, Apr. 25, 2000 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Law Firms Seem to Be Stealing Signs From Baseball on Salaries, ALM dailies, Feb. 14, 2000 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: South Carolina Flag Flap Continues to Grow, ALM dailies, Mar. 13, 2000 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • Dangerous Liaisons, House Couns., Spring, 1999, at 34 (with William M. Balin). URL
  • Ethics Rules for Neutrals, Prof. Law., Summer, 1999, at 27. URL
  • False Profits, House Couns., Fall, 1999, at 16 (with William M. Balin). URL
  • Getting in the Middle, The Recorder, Feb. 17, 1999, at 5. URL
  • Out of Jail, Through a Garden, S.F. Examiner, Apr. 7, 1999. URL
  • The Moral Compass: Action Needed on Class Action, ALM dailies, July 1, 1999 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Associated Stress Disorder, The Recorder, Sept. 22, 1999, at 5 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Calculated Malfeasance, ALM dailies, May 7, 1999 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Has the MDP Train Left the Station? The Accountants Are Coming, The Recorder, Nov. 24, 1999, at 4 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Hide and Secrets, ALM dailies, Apr. 14, 1999, at 5 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Hide and Secrets II: Throwing a Head Case, ALM dailies, Apr. 21, 1999, at 5 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: How High the Bar?, ALM dailies, July 30, 1999 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: No Badge of Courage, ALM dailies, June 9, 1999, at 5 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Overprivileged, ALM dailies, Mar. 17, 1999, at 5 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Striking Back at SLAPPs, ALM dailies, Apr. 28, 1999, at 5 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Moral Compass: Who’s Afraid of Pro Bono?, ALM dailies, Nov. 8, 1999 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Rules of the Profession, Cal. Law., June, 1999, at 70 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • Attorney-Client Sieve, The Recorder, Apr. 8, 1998, at 6 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • Ethics in Ashes, Cal. Law., Nov., 1998, at 46 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The Kaczynski Dilemma, Legal Times, Feb. 2, 1998, at 29. URL
  • Truth, Justice, and the Criminal Defense Lawyer, Prof. Law., Summer, 1998, at 10. URL
  • Unauthorized Practice, House Couns., Fall, 1998. URL
  • Class Action Conflict, Cal. Law., Mar., 1996, at 37 (with Michele Corash, Joe Cotchett, et al.). URL
  • Ethical Dilemmas for the Partnership Lawyer, Cal. Law., Feb., 1996, at 62 (with Carol M. Langford). URL
  • The High Road, L.A. Daily J., Dec. 30, 1996, at 6. URL
  • How to Comply With New ABA Standards, Law. Referral Network, Summer, 1995, at 1. URL
  • An Ethics Rx for Your Practice, Cal. Bar J., May, 1994, at 11 (with Carol M. Langford).
  • Knowing When to Disqualify Yourself From a Case, Cal. Bar J., Feb., 1994, at 26. URL
  • Ethical Issues Face LRIS’s Too, Law. Referral Network, Spring, 1993, at 3. URL
  • Risky Business . . . Representing Multiple Interests, Ethics Hotliner, Winter, 1993, at 1. URL
  • Drafting Airtight Fee Agreements, Cal. Law., Oct., 1992, at 67. URL
  • Emerging Ethical Issues in Mediation, Cal. Law., Apr., 1992, at 66. URL
  • Attorney, Heal Thyself, Cal. Law., July, 1991, at 38. URL
  • Hollywood Law: A San Francisco Lawyer Finds His Advice Goes Only So Far in a Movieland Courtroom, Cal. Law., Mar., 1991, at 41. URL
  • In-House Outlaws?, Cal. Law., Dec., 1990, at 60. URL
  • Gambling with Multiple Interests, Cal. Law., Apr., 1989, at 73. URL
  • When Fees Are Unethical, Cal. Law., Nov., 1989, at 74. URL

Education

  • New York University School of Law
    J.D., Law     1974

  • Oberlin College
    A.B., Government     1968

Accomplishments

  • Harry Sondheim Award
    Awarded for outstanding long-term contribution to the advancement of attorney professional standards in California     2019

  • Award of Merit
    Awarded by the Bar Association of San Francisco, for efforts to ensure the success of the Bar’s legal services programs.     2011

  • Pro Bono Publico Award
    Awarded by the American Bar Association.     2006

  • State Bar of California annual diversity award
    Awarded by the Bar Association of San Francisco Foundation.     2004

  • Honoree
    Conferred at the Bar Association of San Francisco Foundation’s First Annual Gala, for volunteer work.     2004

  • Certificate of Merit
    Awarded by the Bar Association of San Francisco, for promoting “equality and justice for all.”     2002

Links

Courses

  • Legal Ethics: Practice of Law

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