Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Stetson Law Review

Abstract

What would it be like to represent Elon Musk on business law matters or work with him in representing a business he manages or controls? This article approaches that issue as a function of professional responsibility and practice norms applied in the context of publicly available information about Elon Musk and his business-related escapades. Specifically, the article provides a sketch of Elon Musk and considers that depiction through a professional conduct lens, commenting on the challenges of representing or working with someone with attributes and behaviors substantially like those recognized in Elon Musk.

Ultimately (and perhaps unsurprisingly, for those who have followed Elon Musk’s interactions with the law in a business setting), the article concludes that representing Elon Musk or one of his controlled businesses would be a tough professional assignment, raising both typical and atypical professional responsibility issues. Taking on an engagement in which Elon Musk is the client or a control person would require deliberate lawyer leadership, including (among other things) patience, mental toughness, and empathy. As a result, the lawyer would be required not only to have the required legal expertise, sensitivity to professional conduct regulation, and practical experience to carry out the representation, but also to understand and know how to employ their talent, personality, character strengths, and leadership style in a demanding and mutable lawyering context.

Publication Date

2024

Download

Share

COinS