It is like the chicken and the egg, which came first - ethics or laws.. To say that they are not related, well then please look at history cause this will date back all the way to Plato and Aristotles where it was discovered that one's interpretation of the law will necessarily influence the interpretation of ethics, and vice versa, they form a package, and thus to understand the system of law one must understand the system of ethics.

Political Philosophy is primarily constrained to the workings of governments and nations — how they developed, why they developed, which systems are better than others, what the purpose of government should be, etc. All of this is closely related to Ethics, because so much is dependent upon what actions are right, the protection of the vulnerable within such a society, Protection of personal needs and privacy; but here, there is the added element of what actions can and should be constrained by outside human forces - and thus new laws are created due to lack of ethics.

Think of it like the yard stick for politicians and the public to determine and cope with situations where the standard law fails to provide legal solutions to the public in protecting human rights and maintaining the welfare of the economy. Since there are No clear guidelines between law and ethics, and dealing with problems of each individuals personal interpretation of obligation and personal conscience, then we are left with the Law to create these guidelines for us.

Thus the laws are created by determining that the concern is something by which a large portion of society has a shared consensus, and then an existance that the doing threatens the peace of the public. Then of course comes the punishment, what is fair or too harsh.

Obedience to law is not absolute. When important ethical principles are jeorpardized by legal issues, citizens are confronted with an ethical problem. An attempt to alter the law and, if need be, civil disobedience remains one of the corner stones of democratic process

Thus the link between professional ethics and the law whether legal or moral is - The regulation of behaviour and the protection of society

Laws that came into effect due to the protection of human rights, that came about due to a moral stance - Civil Rights, Equal Pay, 6th Ammendment, 4th ammendment, clean air acts, energy conversation laws (protect our environment), price fixing.

People and associations who helped create changes and Laws due to ethics and need to prtoect the masses - Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Womens Rights Movement (too many names) United Nations (has several division to concern and develop human, economic, social and cultural rights. ACLU, FTC, Better business bureau. Peoples Republic, Public Citizen are some great ones as well.