My regular ethics column in the current issue of The Bencher, the national publication of The American Inns of Court, is entitled: The Moral Aspects of a Lawyer’s Fiduciary Duty. This short piece discusses and refers to sources that document the religious origins of the foundation for many obligations of a lawyer (and others in a position of trust). In prior periods of history, religion had more influence on society, but if contemporary stories in the mainstream media and the latest trends among the glitterati in Hollywood are any indication, religious institutions do not hold much sway today as a source of influence on our culture in the U.S. To the extent that there is a moral dimension to fiduciary duties, as argued in the article at the above link, the courts remain as the final bastion to enforce those standards.
Postscript: Professor Stephen Bainbridge, a nationally prominent corporate law scholar and a FOCS (friend of Chancellor Strine), has kindly recommended this post on his blog here.