Client Protection

In-House Ethics: Top state court says ethics rules haven’t ‘evolved with the profession’ and lawyer-client relationships

A fired in-house lawyer may sue his former employer for breach of contract and violation of public policy, despite an ethics rule that “robustly protects” a client’s right to terminate a lawyer at any time, for any reason, the Washington Supreme Court has ruled in a 6-3 decision.

Jul 25, 2019 3:31 PM CDT

Nonlawyers could offer legal advice and partly own law firms under these California proposals

The State Bar of California is asking for public comment on proposals that would allow legal technicians to offer legal advice and nonlawyers to hold a financial interest in law firms.

Jul 15, 2019 11:05 AM CDT

Law firm awarded $900K in suit contending departing lawyers took confidential files

A former Boston law firm has been awarded $900,000 in its suit claiming that departing lawyers breached their duty of loyalty when they took the firm’s electronic database of files and misused confidential information. Jurors found for the Governo Law Firm last week in its suit against six departing lawyers…

Jun 28, 2019 12:40 PM CDT

Second state adopts ABA model rule barring discrimination and harassment by lawyers

Maine has adopted an ABA model rule that bars discrimination and harassment by lawyers. Maine is the second state to adopt Rule 8.4(g) of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, according to Bloomberg Law. Vermont was the first. Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court adopted the new rule, which takes effect…

Jun 13, 2019 11:39 AM CDT

Lawyer previously suspended for wine theft is disbarred for breaking promise of free representation

A Cincinnati-area lawyer has been disbarred in Ohio for sending a woman an invoice for nearly $10,000 for his legal services after he had agreed to represent her for free. The Ohio Supreme Court disbarred lawyer Rodger William Moore of Alexandria, Kentucky, in a May 30 opinion. The Cincinnati Enquirer…

Jun 3, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Lawyer convicted of wife’s murder argues only he can represent her estate in wrongful death case

A former Atlanta lawyer convicted of felony murder in the fatal shooting of his wife is arguing that only he has the right to represent her estate—and that means a wrongful death suit filed against him by the estate must be tossed. The former lawyer, 77-year-old Claud “Tex” McIver, was…

May 20, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Lawyer disbarred for abandoning clients after moving across the country to ‘play jazz’

A New Jersey lawyer has been disbarred for dropping work on two bankruptcy cases, vanishing from New Jersey and keeping retainers of $1,500 and $1,410. One of the clients learned that lawyer James Peter Byrne had moved through the lawyer’s Facebook page, according to a report by the New Jersey…

May 2, 2019 1:52 PM CDT

What advice do you give your clients about social media?

Social media is a way that people can share their triumphs—or be the cause of their ignominious defeats. The same medium that lets grandparents coo over their grandchildren also can tank a tort case or spark public outrage against a company. But drawing wider attention to an injustice could be…

Apr 3, 2019 11:26 AM CDT

In-House Ethics: Top state court says ethics rules haven’t ‘evolved with the profession’ and lawyer-client relationships

Nonlawyers could offer legal advice and partly own law firms under these California proposals

Law firm awarded $900K in suit contending departing lawyers took confidential files

Second state adopts ABA model rule barring discrimination and harassment by lawyers

Lawyer previously suspended for wine theft is disbarred for breaking promise of free representation

Lawyer convicted of wife’s murder argues only he can represent her estate in wrongful death case

Lawyer disbarred for abandoning clients after moving across the country to ‘play jazz’

What advice do you give your clients about social media?

Topics: Career & Practice

Blazing a Trail: Oregon is moving away from the traditional bar exam and embracing supervised practice

Your Voice

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the cornerstones of democracy

Podcasts

What's the forecast for generative AI in 2025?