Lawyers must be careful in revealing information about clients on an email discussion list group, even when seeking help in the representation, according to a new ABA ethics opinion.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied certiorari in a challenge to a Pennsylvania ethics rule that bars lawyers from knowingly engaging in conduct that constitutes discrimination and harassment in the practice of law.
An ethics opinion released Wednesday by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility addresses what constitutes “reasonable measures” personally disqualified lawyers can take to ensure that the conflicts of interest are not imputed to their law firms.
Updated: A federal appeals court saw a need for a civility lesson when it granted a new trial to a civil-fraud plaintiff because of a “barrage of personal attacks” made by opposing lawyers in a closing argument.
Lawyers who work in government or serve as public officials have special confidentiality obligations, and they should not use “confidential government information” when representing private clients, according to an ABA ethics opinion released Wednesday.
Lawyers may be excellent when questioning on the stand, but when it comes to cross-examining artificial intelligence, they may need an assist. With generative artificial intelligence, it’s all about the search prompt.
“It’s never going to go well,” Arizona attorney Lynda C. Shely says about the prospect of representing anyone you are close to, including family members and friends. Shely, the immediate past chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, works in private practice and has advised more than 2,500 law firms around the country on legal ethics matters.
A sacrosanct concept in law is the attorney-client privilege—that a client can speak to his or her attorney knowing full well that what the client says will be kept secret. The evidentiary privilege ensures free and frank communications between attorney and client, a reality that generally serves the public interest.
Probably to his regret, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart is best remembered for his famous nondefinition of obscenity: “I know it when I see it,” in Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184 (1964).
Lawyers have a duty to prepare and guide witnesses, but attorneys can’t coach a witness in a way that interferes with the integrity of the justice system and obstructs another party’s access to evidence, according to an ethics opinion released Wednesday by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.
A Pennsylvania lawyer does not have standing to challenge a state ethics rule banning discrimination and harassment in the practice of law, a federal appeals court has ruled.
“Nonlawyer” means someone who isn’t a lawyer. But for years, many have found the word objectionable. And the case against “nonlawyer” isn’t as clear-cut as it might seem, says a lawyer specializing in how to say concisely whatever you want in a contract.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed a one-year suspension of an attorney who asked his assistant to take his continuing legal education classes.
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.