The Code of Professional Ethics is a specialized document that applies to representatives of a particular professional community. Such acts usually establish the norms of professional behavior, the specifics of relationships with clients, measures of disciplinary responsibility and the procedure for bringing to it.
The current trend towards the creation of self-regulating professional communities in the Russian legal environment has necessitated the development of special documents - codes of professional ethics. Such acts are adopted by the governing bodies of a particular community and apply to all its members. The norms that are included in the code of professional ethics are predominantly of a moral, ethical and procedural nature; often their violation does not entail a simultaneous violation of the current legislation. Nevertheless, the bodies of the relevant professional community can bring violators to disciplinary responsibility, deprive them of their special status, which is also enshrined in such codes.
Main content of codes of professional ethics
Currently, there are many codes of professional ethics, each of which applies to a certain range of individuals or legal entities, united by the nature of their activities. So, there is the "Code of professional ethics of a lawyer", "Code of professional ethics of the auditor", "Code of professional ethics of non-state pension funds" and a number of others.
The main content of the code is usually divided into two semantic parts. The first contains general norms and principles of professional activity in the relevant field. The second establishes the rules for interacting with clients in the process of carrying out these activities. So, the first part of the "Code of Professional Ethics of a Lawyer" describes the general principles of his activities (honor, dignity, independence and others), and the second - the requirements when interacting with clients (a ban on familiar communication with a client, a ban on public statements about proof of guilt the principal and others).
Disciplinary responsibility in a code of professional ethics
Codes of professional ethics cannot be regarded as only advisory documents, since most of them include a description of the procedure for applying sanctions for violations of ethical standards. Thus, the "Code of Professional Ethics of a Lawyer" includes a separate section entitled "Procedural Features of Disciplinary Proceedings", which describes the grounds for initiating disciplinary proceedings, the procedure for considering the case, and the types and characteristics of the penalties applied. The most severe type of liability is usually the deprivation of special status, after which the violator of ethical norms actually leaves the relevant professional community.
