Ethics are often discussed as if they’re abstract; something you learn for the bar exam or reference in a professional code of conduct. In reality, ethics show up in very concrete, very human ways and in law, they aren’t theoretical. Doing the right thing can affect revenue. It can affect relationships. It can affect reputation. And sometimes, it can cost you your job.
Over the course of my career, particularly in health law, choosing to act ethically has sometimes meant turning down work, stepping away from clients, setting firmer boundaries, or advising against courses of action that are high risk. It has meant saying “no” when “yes” would have been easier.
Those choices haven’t always been the most profitable or convenient. Refusing to compromise my ethics or professional judgment made me the easiest person to blame when others pushed ahead anyway. I’ve faced legal pressure and threats because I wouldn’t sign off on something I believed crossed ethical or legal lines. Sometimes the biggest cost was losing people I thought were my friends, only to find that they were “friends” when I was doing what they wanted. When the heat turned up, they turned their backs.
I don’t say this in a “woe is me” way. I say it because it’s my experience and something we don’t talk about enough. Healthcare is a heavily regulated space. Shortcuts may seem harmless in the moment, but they tend to surface later, and in ways many clients would not want to experience.
On the positive side of the equation, when you practice ethically, you build a reputation that compounds over time. Clients may not always understand the nuances of legal issues or ethics, but they recognize consistency. They recognize honesty. They recognize when their attorney is willing to protect them, even when it means delivering uncomfortable advice.
While choosing ethics has cost me opportunities, revenue and “friends,” it has maintained my peace-of-mind, allowed me to practice law in a way I can stand behind and give clients advice that prioritizes long-term stability over short-term fixes.
The cost of being ethical is real.
The cost of not being ethical is far higher.
