The Convergence and Divergence of Legal and Business Ethics and its Resulting Friction for Aligned In-house Counsel

Sama Carstens, General Counsel, Sayar Enterprises, Inc

Decision theory has been applied in an empirical and statistical manner when analyzing decisions made in the business sphere. Political, social and philosophical elements render the legal sphere less amenable to statistical study. The spheres converge in the case of in-house counsel’s day to day occupation and observations can be made as to the conflicts and near harmonies which arise when the contours of the business ethics line are not congruent with those of the legal ethics line. While the duty of zealous advocacy plunges the attorney’s day to day endeavors ever close to the line of business ethics, the trappings of societal expectations on the legal profession serves to create a divide between the motivations of in-house counsel and his or her efforts to align with the corporation’s goals.

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USA Ethics Construction June 2012 Vol. 5, No. 19, Spring 2012

Sama Carstens

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Sama S. Carstens, upon graduating from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law in the year 2000, practiced commercial litigation in the context of complex commercial transactions and thereafter practiced  dependency litigation in relation to abandoned, abused and neglected children in the Fourth Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida, United States of America. She currently serves as General Counsel for Sayar Enterprises, Inc., a privately held corporation that specializes in complete site development, including underground utilities as well as heavy highway construction and civil construction in the public and private sectors. Carstens’ responsibilities at Sayar include the representation of the company before various municipal and state forums as well as the production of legal documentation for the commercial transactions of the company.

Sayar Enterprises, Inc

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Sayar Enterprises, Inc. is a premier global provider of site development including heavy highway construction and underground utilities. The company has served as the general contractor for numerous construction projects in the South Eastern United States as well as Kabul, Afghanistan. The company is currently serving as an advisor and consultant for the housing and infrastructure authorities in Libya. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Sayar Enterprises, Inc. employs a global work force of estimators, engineers, accountants, attorneys and on-site managers who operate to ensure its high quality work product and maintain its unequalled reputation as a world leading heavy construction firm. Visit www.sdcorp.com for more information.

USA Ethics Construction June 2012 Vol. 5, No. 19, Spring 2012