Dean Served as White House Counsel during Watergate

CLEVELAND – John W. Dean, who served as White House Counsel during the Watergate scandal, will speak at a public program, "Watergate at 40: John Dean and the Ethics of Lawyers," at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (C|M LAW).

The program is free and open to the public; it takes place Thursday April 19, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the C|M LAW Moot Court Room. Members of the Ohio Bar will receive one free hour of Continuing Legal Ethics credit. Cleveland attorney James Robenalt, a partner with Thompson Hine, will co-present.

Dean served four months in prison for his involvement in the attempted cover-up of the Watergate scandal. He testified against President Nixon, and presented a list of names of whom he believed to be involved with the obstruction of justice, including himself.

The Watergate scandal exposed ethical dilemmas faced by lawyers and directly led to reform in the legal industry. These reforms include the mandatory teaching of ethics in law schools, a separate ethics bar exam and ongoing requirements for Continuing Legal Education in ethics and professionalism.

Dean and Robenalt will address Watergate as a case study to examine cover-up crimes and activities and analyze them using today's ethical rules and standards.

In addition to the public program, Dean will be on campus throughout the day to share his experience with the students and faculty of C|M LAW.

C|M LAW Moot Court Room: 1801 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44115